Output service provision system, virtual object management terminal, mobile object, virtual object management terminal program, mobile object program, and output service provision method

ABSTRACT

This invention provides an output service provision system which is capable of allowing a user to easily receive a provided output service, providing an output service responsive to the user and flexibly coping with situational variations. Upon determining that a virtual object B is in an area-in state with respect to a virtual object A, a virtual object management device can transmit an area-in notification to a projector. Upon receiving the area-in notification, the projector can transmit a projector display data transmission request to a portable terminal and receive projector display data transmitted in response to the transmission request. The projector can then execute a projection process by a projection device on the basis of the received projector display data. The portable terminal can transmit the projector display data to the projector in response to the projector display data transmission request.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of Invention

The present invention relates to a system, terminal, mobile object,program, and method for allowing virtual objects correspondingrespectively to an output device, such as a projector or the like, and amobile object, such as a portable terminal or the like, arranging thevirtual objects respectively in a virtual space corresponding to a realspace, and providing an output service by the output device on the basisof a positional relation between the virtual objects. More particularly,the present invention relates to an output service provision system, avirtual object management terminal, a mobile object, a virtual objectmanagement terminal program, a mobile object program, and an outputservice provision method which can allow a user to easily receive aprovided output service, provide an output service responsive to theuser, and flexibly cope with situational variations.

2. Description of Related Art

A conventional projector, which projects an image onto a screen, mayinclude, for example, a connection terminal for connection with acomputer or the like, and a projection device for projecting an imageonto the screen on the basis of an image signal inputted through theconnection terminal.

Each presenter does a presentation using such a conventional projectorwhile projecting presentation data onto a screen by connecting acomputer or the like, which stores projector display data to beprojected by the projector as the presentation data, to the projectorand operating the computer.

In the conventional projector, however, all of the presenters'presentation data must be stored in one computer, otherwise thepresentation data will often be stored respectively in the numerouscomputers of the respective presenters. In such a case, for eachpresentation, the corresponding computer has to be connected to theprojector, resulting in an inefficient use of effort and time forconnection. Besides, the presenters must take their note-type computersto a presentation meeting place with efforts to carry them. Inparticular, in the case of doing presentations in a relatively largemeeting place, it is very troublesome for the presenters to store thepresentation data of all the presenters in one computer. Moreover, for ameeting promoter to do it places a heavy burden on the promoter.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, there is a need to construct a system capable of presentingpresentation data synthesized individually by each presenter in a simplemanner, with no necessity for each presenter to take a computer to apresentation meeting place and no trouble of storing the presentationdata in one computer. For example, one approach may be a system whereina projector and a specific server are connected to communicate with eachother; a presenter pre-stores presentation data in the specific server;the presentation data is automatically read and displayed from thespecific server when the presenter does a presentation. The point ofthis system is that the presenter's presentation data, that is,presentation data responsive to the presenter can be read. In onestructure employed to realize this point, the system may, for example,provide a projection service by the projector according to the movementof the presenter (or a relatively small thing carried by the presenter).

There have conventionally been proposed several examples of such asystem. Conventional systems for provision of a service responsive to auser's movement may be, for example, an information presenting apparatusdisclosed in Japanese laid-open Patent Application No. HEI 10-13720(referred to hereinafter as a first conventional example) and a headmount display apparatus disclosed in Japanese laid-open PatentApplication No. 2000-152125 (referred to hereinafter as a secondconventional example).

In the first conventional example, detectors 103 and 104 detect theposition and direction of a camera 101 through a global positioningsystem (GPS), respectively, and a user specifies an object in an imagedisplayed on a display or finder 108. A controller 106 obtainspositional information of the specified object by performing a computingoperation on the basis of the position of the specified object and thedetected position and direction. The controller 106 then produces theattribute data of the specified object corresponding to the obtainedpositional information from a map data storage unit 107 and displays theproduced attribute data on the display or finder 108 or outputs it byspeech synthesis manner.

As a result, the first conventional example can readily obtain theattribute data of an object in a displayed image and present it to theuser.

In the second conventional example, an icon image is displayed on animage output unit 5 in response to an input from an operation input unit6 such that it is positioned on a line of sight detected by a sight linedetector 8. The overlap of the icon image with the actual field of viewseen from a window is viewed by the eyes of an operator. The operatorviews along their line of sight to a desired portion in the view fieldand determines their focus at the desired portion by applying a commandthrough the operation input unit 6. For example, if the operator viewsactual sentences before their eyes and specifies a specific area in thesentences, an image processor 7 reads sentences or words in thespecified area from image information inputted from a CCD camera 3,translates the read sentences or words in a given language and displaysthe resulting data on the image output unit 5.

As a result, the second conventional example can select and specify anobject in the actual field of view according to the movement of theoperator's line of sight and process image information in the view fieldusing the line of sight as input means.

However, because the first conventional example is configured to, when auser specifies an object in an image displayed on the display or finder108, provide the attribute data of the specified object to the user, theuser cannot obtain the attribute data useful thereto if they do not takean active action even though, for example, an object corresponding tothe useful attribute data is in the vicinity of a place where the useris currently located.

Further, since the user is provided with only the attribute data, theycan receive nothing but an information provision service. For example,the first conventional example has difficulty in satisfying, just as itis, the user's desire to display the contents of the attribute datacorresponding to a certain object on the spot. As an alternative, theattribute data may be stored in a memory or the like, and then read anddisplayed under the condition that the memory is mounted to a differentcomputer. However, this alternative is not efficient in use and does notsatisfy the user's desire to display attribute data on the spot.

In addition, the first conventional example is not configured to enablethe user or manager to create, delete, or update objects and theattribute data. For this reason, it is very hard for the firstconventional example to be applied to a new object, such as a building,an object with a temporary location, such as an exhibit, or aninter-user information exchange. In case of the inter-user informationexchange, in the first conventional example, for example, provided thata user views a picture in an art museum and expresses an appreciation ofthe picture, and a different user will be unable to read the attributedata of the appreciation when standing before the same picture in thefuture.

Meanwhile, like the first conventional example, because the secondconventional example is configured to conduct a translation when a userviews sentences before their eyes and specifies a specific area in thesentences, the user cannot receive a translation service if they do nottake an active action. Moreover, since the user is provided with only atranslation, they can receive nothing but an information provisionservice, similarly to the first conventional example.

Accordingly, in the case where the first and second conventionalexamples are applied to the above-mentioned projector example, apresenter cannot receive the projection service by the projector as longas they do not take an active action. In particular, it is difficult torealize the reading of presentation data responsive to the presenter.Furthermore, installation situations of meeting places or entries ofpresenters may be different with respect to respective presentationmeetings, thereby making it difficult to create, delete, or updateobjects and the attribute data, as in the first conventional example.This leads to a considerable inconvenience for the meeting promoter.

The above problems will be widely treated at the present or in thefuture with respect to the provision of an output service by an outputdevice, such as a display or printer, as well as the provision of theprojection service by the projector.

Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the aboveproblems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide asystem for providing a movement-based dynamic output service,particularly an output service provision system, a virtual objectmanagement terminal, a mobile object, a virtual object managementterminal program, a mobile object program, and an output serviceprovision method which can allow a user to easily receive a providedoutput service, provide an output service responsive to the user, andflexibly cope with situational variations.

In accordance with the present invention, the above and other objectscan be accomplished by the provision of an output service provisionsystem for allowing a first virtual object corresponding to an outputdevice and allowing a second virtual object corresponding to a mobileobject, respectively, arranging the first virtual object in a virtualspace corresponding to a real space and arranging the second virtualobject at a position of the mobile object in the virtual space or thevicinity thereof, respectively, and providing an output serviceassociated with an output of the output device corresponding to thefirst virtual object on the basis of a positional relation between thefirst virtual object and the second virtual object. The output serviceprovision system can include a first storage device for storing firstobject information regarding a shape and disposed position of the firstvirtual object in a manner corresponding to the output device, a secondstorage device for storing second object information regarding a shapeand disposed position of the second virtual object in a mannercorresponding to the mobile object, and a positional informationacquisition device for acquiring positional information specifying theposition of the mobile object. The second object information in thesecond storage device is updated on the basis of the positionalinformation acquired by the positional information acquisition device,and providing the output service associated with the output of theoutput device corresponding to the first virtual object upondetermining, on the basis of the first object information in the firststorage device and the second object information in the second storagedevice, that an area specified by the shape and disposed position of thefirst virtual object is overlapped with an area specified by the shapeand disposed position of the second virtual object.

With this structure, the positional information is acquired by thepositional information acquisition device, and the second objectinformation in the second storage device is updated on the basis of theacquired positional information. A determination is made, on the basisof the first object information in the first storage device and thesecond object information in the second storage device, as to whetherthe area specified by the shape and disposed position of the firstvirtual object is overlapped with the area specified by the shape anddisposed position of the second virtual object. That is, if the mobileobject is brought close to the area of the first virtual object or thevicinity thereof, the two areas are determined to have overlapped. If itis determined that the two areas have overlapped, the output serviceassociated with the output of the output device corresponding to thefirst virtual object is provided.

Here, each virtual object has a logical shape and disposed position inthe virtual space corresponding to the real space. For example, eachvirtual object may have a spherical shape with a radius of about 1 [m]about its disposed position, a cubic shape with each side of about 1 [m]about its disposed position, a shape modeled on a natural thing orliving thing, or any other shape. Moreover, each virtual object is notlimited to a stereoscopic shape, and may have a planar shape. Therefore,output service provision areas can be defined relatively clearly,thereby making it possible to provide different output services inrespective small unit areas, such as several meters. Further, an outputservice provision area and an area corresponding to the mobile objectare not limited to points, but have predetermined ranges, therebyenabling a user to easily receive an output service. This is similarlyapplied to an output service provision system a virtual objectmanagement terminal, a mobile object, a virtual object managementterminal program, a mobile object program, and an output serviceprovision method.

The mobile object may be a mobile object in the real space or a mobileobject in the virtual space. In the former, the mobile object may be aportable terminal or vehicle. If the portable terminal or vehicle isapplied as the mobile object, an output service responsive to the user'slocation can be provided. In the latter, the mobile object may be amobile object on a computer simulation or a mobile object on a game. Ifthe computer simulation is applied as the mobile object, an outputservice responsive to the position of the mobile object in the virtualspace can be provided. This is similarly applied to an output serviceprovision system, a virtual object management terminal, a mobile object,a mobile object program, and an output service provision method.

The output service is a service associated with an output of the outputdevice. For example, the output service may be a print service if theoutput device is a printer, a display service if it is a display device,and a voice output service if it is a voice output device. This issimilarly applied to an output service provision system, and an outputservice provision method.

The provision of the output service signifies a direct or indirectprovision of the output service. For the indirect provision, forexample, under the condition that the present system is communicatablyconnected with an external terminal capable of providing the outputservice, the present system may request the external terminal to providethe output service, and the external terminal may provide the outputservice in response to the provision request. That is, the presentsystem may provide the output service in cooperation with one externalterminal or a plurality of external terminals. This is similarly appliedto an output service provision system, and an output service provisionmethod.

The first storage device may store the first object information throughany means and at any time, or pre-store it. Alternatively, the firststorage device may store the first object information in response to anexternal input, etc. during the operation of the present system, withoutpre-storing the first object information. This is similarly applied tothe storage of the second object information in the second storagedevice. Also, this is similarly applied to an output service provisionsystem, and a virtual object management terminal.

The present system may be implemented as a single apparatus or a networksystem having a plurality of terminals interconnected in acommunicatable manner. In the latter, each constituent element maybelong to any of the plurality of terminals as long as it iscommunicatably connected. This is similarly applied to an output serviceprovision system.

The positional information acquisition device may be provided in, forexample, a communication terminal to which the mobile object iscommunicatably connected, to acquire the positional information bymeasuring the position of the mobile object. Alternatively, the mobileobject may measure the position thereof using a GPS, etc., or thecommunication terminal may acquire the positional information bycalculating it on the basis of measurement information from the mobileobject. Or a base station to which the mobile object is connected maymeasure the position of the mobile object, or the communication terminalmay acquire the positional information by calculating it on the basis ofmeasurement information from the base station. This is similarly appliedto an output service provision system, and a mobile object.

Further, in accordance with the present invention, there is provided anoutput service provision system, that is, the output service provisionsystem, wherein a virtual object management terminal for managing saidvirtual object is connected with the mobile object in a communicatablemanner. The mobile object can include the positional informationacquisition device, and is adapted to transmit the positionalinformation acquired from the positional information acquisition deviceto the virtual object management terminal. Further, the virtual objectmanagement terminal can include the first storage device and secondstorage device, and is adapted to, upon receiving the positionalinformation, update the second object information in the second storagedevice on the basis of the received positional information, and todetermine, on the basis of the first object information in the firststorage device and the second object information in the second storagedevice, whether the area specified by the shape and disposed position ofthe first virtual object is overlapped with the area specified by theshape and disposed position of the second virtual object.

With this structure, the mobile object acquires the positionalinformation by the positional information acquisition device andtransmits the acquired positional information to the virtual objectmanagement terminal.

The virtual object management terminal, upon receiving the positionalinformation, updates the second object information in the second storagedevice on the basis of the received positional information. The virtualobject management terminal also determines, on the basis of the firstobject information in the first storage device and the second objectinformation in the second storage device, whether the area specified bythe shape and disposed position of the first virtual object isoverlapped with the area specified by the shape and disposed position ofthe second virtual object.

Here, the provision of the output service may be made at any place andby the mobile object or any other device, not limited to the virtualobject management terminal. For the output service provision by thevirtual object management terminal, for example, the virtual objectmanagement terminal may provide the output service associated with theoutput of the output device corresponding to the first virtual objectupon determining that the area of the first virtual object is overlappedwith the area of the second virtual object. For the output serviceprovision by the mobile object, for example, the virtual objectmanagement terminal may transmit the determination result to the mobileobject, and the mobile object may receive the determination result andprovide the output service associated with the output of the outputdevice corresponding to the first virtual object if the receiveddetermination result indicates that the area of the first virtual objectis overlapped with the area of the second virtual object.

The virtual object management terminal may be communication equipmentwhich is connected to one end of a communication path with the mobileobject and basically has a server function. Alternatively, the virtualobject management terminal may be configured to have both a clientfunction and server function. This is similarly applied to an outputservice provision system, a virtual object management terminal, a mobileobject, and a virtual object management terminal program.

The transmission of the positional information signifies that the mobileobject transmits the positional information directly or indirectly tothe virtual object management terminal. For the indirect transmission,for example, under the condition that the mobile object iscommunicatably connected with an external terminal, the mobile objectmay transmit the positional information to the virtual object managementterminal via the external terminal. That is, the mobile object maytransmit the positional information in cooperation with one externalterminal or a plurality of external terminals.

Further, in accordance with the present invention, there is provided anoutput service provision system, that is, the output service provisionsystem described above, wherein a virtual object management terminal formanaging the virtual object is connected with the mobile object in acommunicatable manner. The virtual object management terminal caninclude the first storage device, and is adapted to transmit the firstobject information in the first storage device to the mobile object.Further, the mobile object can include the second storage device andpositional information acquisition device, and is adapted to update thesecond object information in the second storage device on the basis ofthe positional information acquired from the positional informationacquisition device, and to, upon receiving the first object information,determine, on the basis of the received first object information and thesecond object information in the second storage device, whether the areaspecified by the shape and disposed position of the first virtual objectis overlapped with the area specified by the shape and disposed positionof the second virtual object.

With this structure, the virtual object management terminal transmitsthe first object information in the first storage device to the mobileobject. The mobile object acquires the positional information by thepositional information acquisition device and updates the second objectinformation in the second storage device on the basis of the acquiredpositional information. The mobile object, upon receiving the firstobject information, determines, on the basis of the received firstobject information and the second object information in the secondstorage device, whether the area specified by the shape and disposedposition of the first virtual object is overlapped with the areaspecified by the shape and disposed position of the second virtualobject.

Here, the provision of the output service may be made at any place andby the virtual object management terminal or any other device, notlimited to the mobile object. For the output service provision by themobile object, for example, the virtual object management terminal maytransmit the first object information in the first storage device to themobile object, and the mobile object may receive the first objectinformation and provide the output service associated with the output ofthe output device corresponding to the first virtual object upondetermining, on the basis of the received first object information andthe second object information in the second storage device, that thearea of the first virtual object is overlapped with the area of thesecond virtual object. For the output service provision by the virtualobject management terminal, for example, the mobile object may transmitthe determination result to the virtual object management terminal, andthe virtual object management terminal may receive the determinationresult and provide the output service associated with the output of theoutput device corresponding to the first virtual object if the receiveddetermination result indicates that the area of the first virtual objectis overlapped with the area of the second virtual object.

The transmission of the first object information signifies that thevirtual object management terminal transmits the first objectinformation directly or indirectly to the mobile object. For theindirect transmission, for example, under the condition that the virtualobject management terminal is communicatably connected with an externalterminal, the virtual object management terminal may transmit the firstobject information to the mobile object via the external terminal. Thatis, the virtual object management terminal may transmit the first objectinformation in cooperation with one external terminal or a plurality ofexternal terminals.

Further, in accordance with the present invention, there is provided anoutput service provision system, that is, the output service provisionsystem described above, further including an output data storage devicefor storing output data, which is transmitted to the output device, in amanner corresponding to the mobile object;. The virtual objectmanagement terminal can be adapted to transmit output data correspondingto the mobile object as the second virtual object, among the output datain the output data storage means, to the output device as the firstvirtual object if it is determined that the area specified by the shapeand disposed position of the first virtual object is overlapped with thearea specified by the shape and disposed position of the second virtualobject.

With this structure, the virtual object management terminal can transmitthe output data corresponding to the mobile object as the second virtualobject, among the output data in the output data storage device, to theoutput device as the first virtual object if it is determined that thearea of the first virtual object is overlapped with the area of thesecond virtual object.

The transmission of the output data signifies that the virtual objectmanagement terminal transmits the output data directly or indirectly.For the indirect transmission, for example, under the condition that thevirtual object management terminal is communicatably connected with anexternal terminal storing the output data, the virtual object managementterminal may request the external terminal to transmit the output data,and the external terminal may transmit the output data in response tothe transmission request. That is, the virtual object managementterminal may transmit the output data in cooperation with one externalterminal or a plurality of external terminals.

The output data storage device may store the output data through anytechnique and at any time, or pre-store it. Alternatively, the outputdata storage device may store the output data in response to an externalinput, etc. during the operation of the present system, withoutpre-storing the output data. This is similarly applied to an outputservice provision system.

Further, in accordance with the present invention, there is provided anoutput service provision system, that is, the output service provisionsystem as described above, further including an output data storagedevice for storing output data, which is transmitted to the outputdevice, in a manner corresponding to the mobile object. The mobileobject is adapted to transmit output data corresponding to the mobileobject as the second virtual object, among the output data in the outputdata storage means, to the output device as the first virtual object ifit is determined that the area specified by the shape and disposedposition of the first virtual object is overlapped with the areaspecified by the shape and disposed position of the second virtualobject.

With this structure, the mobile object transmits the output datacorresponding to the mobile object as the second virtual object, amongthe output data in the output data storage device, to the output deviceas the first virtual object if it is determined that the area of thefirst virtual object is overlapped with the area of the second virtualobject.

The transmission of the output data signifies that the mobile objecttransmits the output data directly or indirectly. For the indirecttransmission, for example, under the condition that the mobile object iscommunicatably connected with an external terminal storing the outputdata, the virtual object management terminal may request the externalterminal to transmit the output data, and the external terminal maytransmit the output data in response to the transmission request. Thatis, the mobile object may transmit the output data in cooperation withone external terminal or a plurality of external terminals.

Further, in accordance with the present invention, there is provided anoutput service provision system for interconnecting a virtual objectmanagement terminal managing virtual objects, an output device, and aportable terminal in a communicatable manner, allowing a first virtualobject corresponding to the output device and allowing a second virtualobject corresponding to the portable terminal, respectively, arrangingthe first virtual object in a virtual space corresponding to a realspace and arranging the second virtual object at a position of theportable terminal in the virtual space or the vicinity thereof,respectively, and providing an output service associated with an outputof the output device corresponding to the first virtual object on thebasis of a positional relation between the first virtual object and thesecond virtual object. The output service provision system including apositional information acquisition device for acquiring positionalinformation specifying the position of the portable terminal. Thevirtual object management terminal can include a first storage devicefor storing first object information regarding a shape and disposedposition of the first virtual object in a manner corresponding to theoutput device, and a second storage device for storing second objectinformation regarding a shape and disposed position of the secondvirtual object in a manner corresponding to the portable terminal, andis adapted to update the second object information in the second storagedevice on the basis of the positional information acquired by thepositional information acquisition device, and transmit a provisionrequest to provide the output service associated with the output of theoutput device corresponding to the first virtual object, upondetermining, on the basis of the first object information in the firststorage device and the second object information in the second storagedevice, that an area specified by the shape and disposed position of thefirst virtual object is overlapped with an area specified by the shapeand disposed position of the second virtual object. The portableterminal can include output data storage device for storing output data,which is transmitted to the output device, and is adapted to, uponreceiving the provision request, transmit the output data in the outputdata storage device to the output device associated with the receivedprovision request. Further, the output device is adapted to, uponreceiving the output data, provide its output on the basis of thereceived output data.

With this structure, the positional information is acquired by thepositional information acquisition device, and the virtual objectmanagement terminal updates the second object information in the secondstorage device on the basis of the acquired positional information. Adetermination is made, on the basis of the first object information inthe first storage device and the second object information in the secondstorage device, as to whether the area specified by the shape anddisposed position of the first virtual object is overlapped with thearea specified by the shape and disposed position of the second virtualobject. That is, if the portable terminal is brought close to the areaof the first virtual object or the vicinity thereof, the two areas aredetermined to have overlapped. If it is determined that the two areashave overlapped, the virtual object management terminal transmits theprovision request to provide the output service associated with theoutput of the output device corresponding to the first virtual object.

The portable terminal, upon receiving the provision request, transmitsthe output data in the output data storage to the output deviceassociated with the received provision request.

The output device, upon receiving the output data, provides its outputon the basis of the received output data.

The transmission of the provision request signifies that the virtualobject management terminal transmits the provision request directly orindirectly to the portable terminal. For the indirect transmission, forexample, under the condition that the virtual object management terminalis communicatably connected with an external terminal, the virtualobject management terminal may transmit the provision request to theportable terminal via the external terminal. That is, the virtual objectmanagement terminal may transmit the provision request in cooperationwith one external terminal or a plurality of external terminals. This issimilarly applied to an output service provision system.

The positional information acquisition device may be provided in, forexample, a communication terminal to which the portable terminal iscommunicatably connected, to acquire the positional information bymeasuring the position of the portable terminal. Alternatively, theportable terminal may measure the position thereof using a GPS, etc., orthe communication terminal may acquire the positional information bycalculating it on the basis of measurement information from the portableterminal. Or, a base station to which the portable terminal is connectedmay measure the position of the portable terminal, or the communicationterminal may acquire the positional information by calculating it on thebasis of measurement information from the base station. Alternatively,the positional information acquisition device may be installed in any ofthe virtual object management terminal, the output device, the portableterminal, and other external terminals communicatably connected to thevirtual object management terminal. This is similarly applied to anoutput service provision system.

Further, in accordance with the present invention, there is provided anoutput service provision system, that is, the output service provisionsystem as described above, wherein the portable terminal is connectedwith a communication service provision terminal in a communicatablemanner, the communication service provision terminal providing acommunication service with the portable terminal. The communicationservice provision terminal can include a constituent information storagedevice for storing communication establishment constituent information,the constituent information having a communication establishment devicefor establishing communication with the portable terminal. The virtualobject management terminal is adapted to transmit the provision requestto the output device corresponding to the first virtual object upondetermining that the area specified by the shape and disposed positionof the first virtual object is overlapped with the area specified by theshape and disposed position of the second virtual object. The outputdevice is adapted to, upon receiving the provision request, acquire thecommunication establishment device constituent information from thecommunication service provision terminal, constitute the communicationestablishment device on the basis of the acquired communicationestablishment device constituent information, and transmit the provisionrequest to the portable terminal associated with the received provisionrequest on the basis of the constituted communication establishmentdevice. Further, the portable terminal is adapted to, upon receiving theprovision request, transmit the output data in the output data storagedevice to the output device associated with the received provisionrequest.

With this structure, the virtual object management terminal transmitsthe provision request to the output device corresponding to the firstvirtual object upon determining that the area of the first virtualobject is overlapped with the area of the second virtual object.

The output device, upon receiving the provision request, acquires thecommunication establishment device constituent information from thecommunication service provision terminal and constitutes thecommunication establishment device on the basis of the acquiredcommunication establishment device constituent information. The outputdevice then transmits the provision request to the portable terminalassociated with the received provision request on the basis of theconstituted communication establishment device.

The portable terminal, upon receiving the provision request, transmitsthe output data in the output data storage device to the output deviceassociated with the received provision request.

The constituent information storage device may store the communicationestablishment device constituent information through any device and atany time, or pre-store it. Alternatively, the constituent informationstorage device may store the communication establishment deviceconstituent information in response to an external input, etc. duringthe operation of the present system, without pre-storing thecommunication establishment device constituent information. This issimilarly applied to an output service provision system.

The communication service provision terminal may be communicationequipment which is connected to one end of a communication path with theoutput device and basically can have a server function. Alternatively,the communication service provision terminal may be configured to haveboth a client function and server function. This is similarly applied toan output service provision system described above.

Further, in accordance with the present invention, there can be providedan output service provision system, for interconnecting a virtual objectmanagement terminal managing virtual objects, an output device, and aportable object management terminal managing a portable object in acommunicatable manner, allowing a first virtual object corresponding tothe output device and allowing a second virtual object corresponding tothe portable object, respectively, arranging the first virtual object ina virtual space corresponding to a real space and arranging the secondvirtual object at a position of the portable object in the virtual spaceor the vicinity thereof, respectively, and providing an output serviceassociated with an output of the output device corresponding to thefirst virtual object on the basis of a positional relation between thefirst virtual object and the second virtual object. The output serviceprovision system can include a positional information acquisition devicefor acquiring positional information specifying the position of theportable object. The virtual object management terminal can include afirst storage device for storing first object information regarding ashape and disposed position of the first virtual object in a mannercorresponding to the output device, and a second storage device forstoring second object information regarding a shape and disposedposition of the second virtual object in a manner corresponding to theportable object, and is adapted to update the second object informationin the second storage device on the basis of the positional informationacquired by the positional information acquisition device, and transmita provision request to provide the output service associated with theoutput of the output device corresponding to the first virtual object,upon determining, on the basis of the first object information in thefirst storage device and the second object information in the secondstorage device, that an area specified by the shape and disposedposition of the first virtual object is overlapped with an areaspecified by the shape and disposed position of the second virtualobject. The portable object management terminal can include output datastorage device for storing output data, which is transmitted to theoutput device, in a manner corresponding to the portable object, and isadapted to, upon receiving the provision request, transmit output datacorresponding to the portable object associated with the receivedprovision request, among the output data in the output data storagedevice, to the output device associated with the received provisionrequest. Further, the output device can be adapted to, upon receivingthe output data, provide its output on the basis of the received outputdata.

With this structure, the positional information is acquired by thepositional information acquisition device, and the virtual objectmanagement terminal updates the second object information in the secondstorage device on the basis of the acquired positional information. Adetermination is made, on the basis of the first object information inthe first storage device and the second object information in the secondstorage device, as to whether the area specified by the shape anddisposed position of the first virtual object is overlapped with thearea specified by the shape and disposed position of the second virtualobject. That is, if the portable object is brought close to the area ofthe first virtual object or the vicinity thereof, the two areas aredetermined to have overlapped. If it is determined that the two areashave overlapped, the virtual object management terminal transmits therequest to provide the output service associated with the output of theoutput device corresponding to the first virtual object.

The portable object management terminal, upon receiving the provisionrequest, transmits the output data corresponding to the portable objectassociated with the received provision request, among the output data inthe output data storage means, to the output device associated with thereceived provision request.

The output device, upon receiving the output data, provides its outputon the basis of the received output data.

The transmission of the provision request signifies that the virtualobject management terminal transmits the provision request directly orindirectly to the portable object management terminal. For the indirecttransmission, for example, under the condition that the virtual objectmanagement terminal is communicatably connected with an externalterminal, the virtual object management terminal may transmit theprovision request to the portable object management terminal via theexternal terminal. That is, the virtual object management terminal maytransmit the provision request in cooperation with one external terminalor a plurality of external terminals. This is similarly applied to anoutput service provision system described above.

The positional information acquisition device may be provided in, forexample, a communication terminal to which the portable object iscommunicatably connected, to acquire the positional information bymeasuring the position of the portable object. Alternatively, theportable object may measure the position thereof using a GPS, etc., orthe communication terminal may acquire the positional information bycalculating it on the basis of measurement information from the portableobject. Or, a base station to which the portable object is connected maymeasure the position of the portable object, or the communicationterminal may acquire the positional information by calculating it on thebasis of measurement information from the base station. Alternatively,the positional information acquisition device may be installed in any ofthe virtual object management terminal, the output device, the portableobject, the portable object management terminal, and other externalterminals communicatably connected to the virtual object managementterminal. This is similarly applied to an output service provisionsystem described above.

The portable object management terminal may be communication equipmentwhich is connected to one-side ends of communication paths with thevirtual object management terminal and output device, and basically canhave a server function. Alternatively, the portable object managementterminal may be configured to have both a client function and serverfunction. This is similarly applied to an output service provisionsystem described above.

Further, in accordance with the present invention, there is provided anoutput service provision system, that is, the output service provisionsystem as described above, wherein the portable object managementterminal is connected with a communication service provision terminal ina communicatable manner, the communication service provision terminalproviding a communication service with the portable object managementterminal. The communication service provision terminal includes aconstituent information storage device for storing communicationestablishment device constituent information, the constituentinformation constituting communication establishment device forestablishing communication with the portable object management terminal.The virtual object management terminal is adapted to transmit theprovision request to the output device corresponding to the firstvirtual object upon determining that the area specified by the shape anddisposed position of the first virtual object is overlapped with thearea specified by the shape and disposed position of the second virtualobject. The output device is adapted to, upon receiving the provisionrequest, acquire the communication establishment device constituentinformation from the communication service provision terminal,constitute the communication establishment device on the basis of theacquired communication establishment device constituent information, andtransmit the provision request to the portable object managementterminal associated with the received provision request on the basis ofthe constituted communication establishment device. Further, theportable object management terminal is adapted to, upon receiving theprovision request, transmit the output data corresponding to theportable object associated with the received provision request, amongthe output data in the output data storage device, to the output deviceassociated with the received provision request.

With this structure, the virtual object management terminal transmitsthe provision request to the output device corresponding to the firstvirtual object upon determining that the area of the first virtualobject is overlapped with the area of the second virtual object.

The output device, upon receiving the provision request, acquires thecommunication establishment device constituent information from thecommunication service provision terminal and constitutes thecommunication establishment device on the basis of the acquiredcommunication establishment device constituent information. The outputdevice then transmits the provision request to the portable objectmanagement terminal associated with the received provision request onthe basis of the constituted communication establishment device.

The portable object management terminal, upon receiving the provisionrequest, transmits the output data corresponding to the portable objectassociated with the received provision request, among the output data inthe output data storage device, to the output device associated with thereceived provision request.

Further, in accordance with the present invention, there is provided anoutput service provision system, that is, the output service provisionsystem as set forth above, wherein the virtual object managementterminal further includes an input device for receiving input contentsregarding creation, deletion, or update of the first object informationand an object information processing device for creating, deleting, orupdating the first object information on the basis of the input contentsreceived by the input device.

With this structure, the virtual object management terminal receivesinput contents regarding creation, deletion, or update of the firstobject information through the input means, and creates, deletes, orupdates the first object information on the basis of the received inputcontents through the object information processing means.

Here, the input device may be a device for enabling a direct input bythe virtual object management terminal or an input by communication withthe mobile object or any other device.

Further, in accordance with the present invention, there is provided anoutput service provision system, that is, the output service provisionsystem as set forth above, wherein the output device is aprojection-type display device.

With this structure, the positional information is acquired by thepositional information acquisition device, and the second objectinformation in the second storage device is updated on the basis of theacquired positional information. A determination is made, on the basisof the first object information in the first storage device and thesecond object information in the second storage device, as to whetherthe area specified by the shape and disposed position of the firstvirtual object is overlapped with the area specified by the shape anddisposed position of the second virtual object. If it is determined thatthe two areas have overlapped, a display service by the projection-typedisplay device corresponding to the first virtual object can beprovided.

Further, in accordance with the present invention, there is provided anoutput service provision system for allowing a first virtual objectcorresponding to an output device and allowing a second virtual objectcorresponding to a mobile object, respectively, arranging the firstvirtual object in a virtual space corresponding to a real space andarranging the second virtual object at a position of the mobile objectin the virtual space or the vicinity thereof, respectively, andproviding an output service associated with an output of the outputdevice corresponding to the first virtual object on the basis of apositional relation between the first virtual object and the secondvirtual object. The output service provision system can include a firststorage device for storing first object information regarding the firstvirtual object in a manner corresponding to the output device, a secondstorage device for storing second object information regarding thesecond virtual object in a manner corresponding to the mobile object.The output service associated with the output of the output devicecorresponding to the first virtual object is provided, upon determiningon the basis of the first object information in the first storage deviceand the second object information in the second storage device, that thepositional relation between the first virtual object and the secondvirtual object satisfies a predetermined condition, an input device forreceiving input contents regarding creation, deletion, or update of thefirst object information, and object information processing device forcreating, deleting, or updating the first object information on thebasis of the input contents received by the input device.

With this structure, a determination is made, on the basis of the firstobject information in the first storage device and the second objectinformation in the second storage device, as to whether the positionalrelation between the first virtual object and the second virtual objectsatisfies the predetermined condition. If it is determined that thepositional relation satisfies the predetermined condition, the outputservice associated with the output of the output device corresponding tothe first virtual object is provided. Moreover, if a user, a systemmanager or other person inputs the contents regarding creation,deletion, or update of the first object information through the inputdevice, the object information processing device creates, deletes, orupdates the first object information on the basis of the input contents.

Further, in accordance with the present invention, there is provided anoutput service provision system for interconnecting a virtual objectmanagement terminal managing a virtual object, an output device, and aportable terminal in a communicatable manner, allowing the virtualobject in a manner corresponding to the output device, arranging thevirtual object in a virtual space corresponding to a real space, andproviding an output service associated with an output of the outputdevice corresponding to the virtual object on the basis of a positionalrelation between the portable terminal and the virtual object. Theoutput service provision system can include a positional informationacquisition device for acquiring positional information specifying theposition of the portable terminal. The virtual object managementterminal includes object information storage device for storing objectinformation regarding a shape and disposed position of the virtualobject in a manner corresponding to the output device, and is adapted totransmit a provision request to provide the output service associatedwith the output of the output device corresponding to the virtualobject, upon determining, on the basis of the positional informationacquired by the positional information acquisition device and the objectinformation in the object information storage means, that the portableterminal exists in an internal area of the virtual object specified bythe shape and disposed position of the virtual object. The portableterminal includes output data storage device for storing output data,which is transmitted to the output device, and is adapted to, uponreceiving the provision request, transmit the output data in the outputdata storage device to the output device associated with the receivedprovision request. The output device is adapted to, upon receiving theoutput data, provide its output on the basis of the received outputdata.

With this structure, the positional information is acquired by thepositional information acquisition device, and the virtual objectmanagement terminal determines, on the basis of the acquired positionalinformation and the object information in the object information storagedevice, whether the portable terminal exists in the internal area of thevirtual object specified by the shape and disposed position of thevirtual object. Upon determining that the portable terminal exists inthe internal area of the virtual object, the virtual object managementterminal transmits the provision request to provide the output serviceassociated with the output of the output device corresponding to thevirtual object.

The portable terminal, upon receiving the provision request, transmitsthe output data in the output data storage device to the output deviceassociated with the received provision request. The output device, uponreceiving the output data, provides its output on the basis of thereceived output data.

The object information storage device may store the object informationthrough any device and at any time, or pre-store it. Alternatively, theobject information storage device may store the object information inresponse to an external input, etc. during the operation of the presentsystem, without pre-storing the object information. This is similarlyapplied to an output service provision system described above.

Further, in accordance with the present invention, there can be providedan output service provision system, for interconnecting a virtual objectmanagement terminal managing a virtual object, an output device, and aportable object management terminal managing a portable object in acommunicatable manner, allowing the virtual object in a mannercorresponding to the output device, arranging the virtual object in avirtual space corresponding to a real space, and providing an outputservice associated with an output of the output device corresponding tothe virtual object on the basis of a positional relation between theportable object and the virtual object. The output service provisionsystem can include a positional information acquisition device foracquiring positional information specifying the position of the portableobject. The virtual object management terminal can include an objectinformation storage device for storing object information regarding ashape and disposed position of the virtual object in a mannercorresponding to the output device, and can be adapted to transmit aprovision request to provide the output service associated with theoutput of the output device corresponding to the virtual object, upondetermining, on the basis of the positional information acquired by thepositional information acquisition device and the object information inthe object information storage device, that the portable object existsin an internal area of the virtual object specified by the shape anddisposed position of the virtual object. Further, the portable objectmanagement terminal can include an output data storage device forstoring output data to the output device in a manner corresponding tothe portable object, and is adapted to, upon receiving the provisionrequest, transmit output data corresponding to the portable objectassociated with the received provision request, among the output data inthe output data storage device, to the output device associated with thereceived provision request.

With this structure, the positional information is acquired by thepositional information acquisition device, and the virtual objectmanagement terminal determines, on the basis of the acquired positionalinformation and the object information in the object information storagedevice, whether the portable object exists in the internal area of thevirtual object specified by the shape and disposed position of thevirtual object. Upon determining that the portable object exists in theinternal area of the virtual object, the virtual object managementterminal transmits the provision request to provide the output serviceassociated with the output of the output device corresponding to thevirtual object.

The portable object management terminal, upon receiving the provisionrequest, transmits the output data corresponding to the portable objectassociated with the received provision request, among the output data inthe output data storage means, to the output device associated with thereceived provision request. The output device, upon receiving the outputdata, provides its output on the basis of the received output data.

Further, in accordance with the present invention, there is provided avirtual object management terminal communicatably connected with themobile object in the output service provision system as above, includinga first storage device for storing the first object information in amanner corresponding to the output device, a and second storage devicefor storing the second object information in a manner corresponding tothe mobile object. The second object information in the second storagedevice is updated on the basis of the positional information uponreceiving the positional information, and providing the determination,on the basis of the first object information in the first storage deviceand the second object information in the second storage device, whetherthe area specified by the shape and disposed position of the firstvirtual object is overlapped with the area specified by the shape anddisposed position of the second virtual object.

With this structure, the same effect as that of the virtual objectmanagement terminal in the output service provision system describedabove can be obtained.

Further, in accordance with the present invention, there is provided amobile object communicatably connected with the virtual objectmanagement terminal in the output service provision system as set forthabove, including a second storage device for storing the second objectinformation in a manner corresponding to the mobile object, and apositional information acquisition device for acquiring positionalinformation specifying the position of the mobile object. The secondobject information in the second storage device is updated on the basisof the positional information acquired from the positional informationacquisition device and, upon receiving the first object information, andproviding the determination, on the basis of the received first objectinformation and the second object information in the second storagedevice, whether the area specified by the shape and disposed position ofthe first virtual object is overlapped with the area specified by theshape and disposed position of the second virtual object.

With this structure, the same effect as that of the mobile object in theoutput service provision system described above can be obtained.

Further, in accordance with the present invention, there is provided avirtual object management terminal program run in the virtual objectmanagement terminal, as a computer, as set forth above. The virtualobject management terminal program can include a process of updating thesecond object information in the second storage device on the basis ofthe positional information upon receiving the positional information,and a process of determining, on the basis of the first objectinformation in the first storage device and the second objectinformation in the second storage device, whether the area specified bythe shape and disposed position of the first virtual object isoverlapped with the area specified by the shape and disposed position ofthe second virtual object.

With this structure, the virtual object management terminal reads theprogram and executes the process according to the read program.Therefore, the same effect as that of the virtual object managementterminal described above can be obtained.

Further, in accordance with the present invention, there is provided amobile object program that can run in the mobile object, as a computer.The mobile object program can include a process of updating the secondobject information in the second storage device on the basis of thepositional information acquired from the positional informationacquisition device; and a process of determining, upon receiving thefirst object information, on the basis of the received first objectinformation and the second object information in the second storagedevice, whether the area specified by the shape and disposed position ofthe first virtual object is overlapped with the area specified by theshape and disposed position of the second virtual object.

With this structure, the mobile object reads the program and executesthe process according to the read program. Therefore, the same effect asthat of the mobile object described above can be obtained.

Further, in accordance with the present invention, there is provided anoutput service provision method for allowing a first virtual objectcorresponding to an output device and allowing a second virtual objectcorresponding to a mobile object, respectively, arranging the firstvirtual object in a virtual space corresponding to a real space andarranging the second virtual object at a position of the mobile objectin the virtual space or the vicinity thereof, respectively, andproviding an output service associated with an output of the outputdevice corresponding to the first virtual object on the basis of apositional relation between the first virtual object and the secondvirtual object. The output service provision method can include a firststorage step of storing first object information regarding a shape anddisposed position of the first virtual object in first storage means ina manner corresponding to the output device, a second storage step ofstoring second object information regarding a shape and disposedposition of the second virtual object in second storage means in amanner corresponding to the mobile object, and a positional informationacquisition step of acquiring positional information specifying theposition of the mobile object. The method can further include an objectinformation update step of updating the second object information in thesecond storage device on the basis of the positional informationacquired at the positional information acquisition step, an overlapdetermination step of determining, on the basis of the first objectinformation in the first storage device and the second objectinformation in the second storage device, whether an area specified bythe shape and disposed position of the first virtual object isoverlapped with an area specified by the shape and disposed position ofthe second virtual object, and an output service provision step ofproviding the output service associated with the output of the outputdevice corresponding to the first virtual object if the result ofdetermination at the overlap determination step is overlap.

Further, in accordance with the present invention, there is provided anoutput service provision method for allowing a first virtual objectcorresponding to an output device and allowing a second virtual objectcorresponding to a mobile object, respectively, arranging the firstvirtual object in a virtual space corresponding to a real space andarranging the second virtual object at a position of the mobile objectin the virtual space or the vicinity thereof, respectively, andproviding an output service associated with an output of the outputdevice corresponding to the first virtual object on the basis of apositional relation between the first virtual object and the secondvirtual object. The output service provision method including a firststorage step of storing first object information regarding the firstvirtual object in first storage device in a manner corresponding to theoutput device, a second storage step of storing second objectinformation regarding the second virtual object in second storage devicein a manner corresponding to the mobile object, a positional relationdetermination step of determining, on the basis of the first objectinformation in the first storage device and the second objectinformation in the second storage device, whether the positionalrelation between the first virtual object and the second virtual objectsatisfies a predetermined condition, an output service provision step ofproviding the output service associated with the output of the outputdevice corresponding to the first virtual object if the result ofdetermination at the positional relation determination step is that thepredetermined condition is satisfied, an input step of receiving inputcontents regarding creation, deletion, or update of the first objectinformation, and an object information processing step of creating,deleting, or updating the first object information on the basis of theinput contents received at the input step.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be described with reference to the accompanyingdrawings, wherein like numerals reference like elements, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a view showing the structure of a network system to which thepresent invention is applied;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the structure of a virtual objectmanagement device 100;

FIG. 3 is a view showing a data structure of a virtual object managementtable 400;

FIG. 4 is a view showing a data structure of a communication informationregistration table 500;

FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating a virtual object creation process;

FIG. 6 is a flow chart illustrating a virtual object deletion process;

FIG. 7 is a flow chart illustrating a virtual object update process;

FIG. 8 is a flow chart illustrating an object information updateprocess;

FIG. 9 is a flow chart illustrating an area-in notification process;

FIG. 10 is a flow chart illustrating an area-out notification process;

FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing the structure of a virtual objectsetting device 120;

FIG. 12 is a flow chart illustrating a virtual object creation requestprocess;

FIG. 13 is a flow chart illustrating a virtual object deletion requestprocess;

FIG. 14 is a flow chart illustrating a virtual object update requestprocess;

FIG. 15 is a block diagram showing the structure of a projector 200;

FIG. 16 is a flow chart illustrating an area-in notification responseprocess;

FIG. 17 is a flow chart illustrating an area-out notification responseprocess;

FIG. 18 is a block diagram showing the structure of a portable terminal140;

FIG. 19 is a flow chart illustrating a positional informationnotification process;

FIG. 20 is a flow chart illustrating a service linkage process;

FIG. 21 is a flow chart illustrating a projector display datatransmission process;

FIG. 22 is a view showing the structure of a network system to which thepresent invention is applied;

FIG. 23 is a view showing a data structure of the virtual objectmanagement table 400; and

FIG. 24 is a view showing a data structure of the communicationinformation registration table 500.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Now, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described withreference to the accompanying drawings. FIGS. 1 to 21 are views showingan output service provision system, a virtual object managementterminal, a mobile object, a virtual object management terminal program,a mobile object program, and an output service provision method inaccordance with the first embodiment of the present invention.

In the output service provision system, the virtual object managementterminal, the mobile object, the virtual object management terminalprogram, the mobile object program, and the output service provisionmethod in accordance with the first embodiment of the present invention,as shown in FIG. 1, in a presentation meeting place, a sphere-shapedvirtual object A and virtual object B are disposed and set respectivelyin an area surrounding a projector 200 and an area surrounding aportable terminal 140 used by a presenter by a virtual object settingdevice 120, and a projection service by the projector 200 is initiatedon the basis of projector display data of the portable terminal 140 whenthe virtual objects A and B overlap with each other.

First, the structure of a network system to which the present inventionis applied will be described with reference to FIG. 1. FIG. 1 is a viewshowing the structure of the network system to which the presentinvention is applied.

In FIG. 1, installed on a wall of the presentation meeting place are avirtual object management device 100 for managing the virtual objects,and a service linkage management device 240 for managing an inter-deviceservice linkage.

Further installed in the presentation meeting place are the projector200 used for presentations, and a printer 220 for printing presentationdata. Also provided in the presentation meeting place are the virtualobject setting device 120 for arranging and setting the virtual objects,and the portable terminal 140, such as a personal digital assistant(PDA), used by the presenter. The virtual object setting device 120 maypreferably be a PDA or the like, which is used by a presentation meetingpromoter in the present embodiment.

Further, the virtual object management device 100, the virtual objectsetting device 120, the portable terminal 140, the projector 200, theprinter 220, and the service linkage management device 240 areconfigured to be communicatable with one another in a wirelesscommunication manner. In detail, the virtual object management device100 communicates with the virtual object setting device 120, theportable terminal 140, the projector 200, the printer 220, and theservice linkage management device 240; the portable terminal 140communicates with the virtual object management device 100, theprojector 200, the printer 220, and the service linkage managementdevice 240; the projector 200 and the printer 220 communicate with thevirtual object management device 100, the portable terminal 140, and theservice linkage management device 240.

On the other hand, the sphere-shaped virtual object A is set in an areasurrounding the projector 200; the sphere-shaped virtual object B is setin an area surrounding the portable terminal 140; a sphere-shapedvirtual object C is set in an area surrounding the printer 220. Thesevirtual objects are logical areas managed by the virtual objectmanagement device 100, which are set by the virtual object settingdevice 120 in a manner as will be described in detail below.

The service linkage management device 240 can include a storage unit forstoring communication object data for establishment of communicationswith the virtual object setting device 120, the portable terminal 140,the projector 200, and the printer 220. The service linkage managementdevice 240 is adapted to read and transmit the communication object datafrom the storage unit in response to requests from the respectivedevices. Stored in the storage unit are communication object data A forestablishment of communication with the projector 200, communicationobject data B for establishment of communication with the virtual objectsetting device 120, communication object data C for establishment ofcommunication with the portable terminal 140, and communication objectdata D for establishment of communication with the printer 220. Forexample, the portable terminal 140 establishes communication with theprojector 200 by acquiring the communication object data A from theservice linkage management device 240 and executing a communicationestablishment process on the basis of the acquired communication objectdata A. That is, each of the communication object data A-D functions asa driver for establishment of communication with a specific counterpart.

Next, a detailed description will be given of the structure of thevirtual object management device 100 with reference to FIG. 2. FIG. 2 isan exemplary block diagram showing the structure of the virtual objectmanagement device 100.

The virtual object management device 100 can include, as shown in FIG.2, a CPU 30 for, on the basis of a control program, performing acomputing operation and controlling the entire system, a ROM 32 forpre-storing the control program, etc. of the CPU 30 in a predeterminedarea thereof, a RAM 34 for storing data read from the ROM 32, etc. oroperation results necessary to the computing operation of the CPU 30,and an I/F 38 for interfacing input/output data with external devices.These components are interconnected via a bus 39, which is a signal linefor transfer of data, such that they exchange data with one another overthe bus 39.

Connected to the I/F 38 are, as the external devices, a wirelesscommunication device 40 for communicating with the virtual objectsetting device 120, the portable terminal 140, the projector 200, theprinter 220, and the service linkage management device 240 in a wirelesscommunication manner, a virtual object management database (referred tohereinafter as a DB) 42 for registering and managing object informationregarding the virtual objects, and a display device 44 for displaying animage on the basis of an image signal.

The virtual object management DB 42 stores a virtual object managementtable 400 capable of registering object information regarding the shapesand disposed positions of the virtual objects in a manner correspondingto service information prescribing service contents, as shown in FIG. 3.FIG. 3 is a view showing an exemplary data structure of the virtualobject management table 400.

The virtual object management table 400 is configured to be capable ofregistering one record for each of the virtual objects, as shown in FIG.3. Each record includes a field 402 for registering a serial number, afield 404 for registering a type of a service based on a device such asthe projector 200 or etc., a field 406 for registering a service IDspecifying the service, a field 408 for registering coordinatesindicative of the disposed position of the corresponding virtual objectin the virtual space corresponding to the real space, a field 410 forregistering the shape of the corresponding virtual object, a field 412for registering the size of the corresponding virtual object, and afield 414 for registering area-in management information for managementof an inter-service linkage. Here, data of the fields 404 and 406correspond to service information, and data of the fields 408 to 412correspond to object information.

In the first-stage record in the example of FIG. 3, “1” is registered asthe serial number in the field 402, “projector service” as the servicetype in the field 404, “0001” as the service ID in the field 406,“(10,50,20)” as the coordinates in the field 408, “sphere” as the shapein the field 410, and “2 [m]“as the size in the field 412, respectively.This first-stage record signifies that the virtual object A is virtuallydisposed as a spherical shape having a radius of 2 [m] about coordinates(10,50,20) in the real space where the projector 200 is installed, andthe projection service by the projector 200 is carried out in theinternal area of the virtual object A specified by the disposed positionand shape.

In the third-stage record in FIG. 3, “3” is registered as the serialnumber in the field 402, “PDA service 2” as the service type in thefield 404, “0003” as the service ID in the field 406, “(30,40,20)” asthe coordinates in the field 408, “sphere” as the shape in the field410, and “1 [m]” as the size in the field 412, respectively. Thisthird-stage record signifies that the virtual object B is virtuallydisposed as a spherical shape having a radius of 1 [m] about coordinates(30,40,20) in the real space where the portable terminal 140 is present,and a service by the portable terminal 140 is carried out in theinternal area of the virtual object B specified by the disposed positionand shape. Note that the coordinates in the real space where theportable terminal 140 exists are changeable momentarily. In this regard,for the PDA service 2, positional information is acquired from theportable terminal 140, and the coordinates in the field 408 are updatedon the basis of the acquired positional information. For example, in thecase where the area of the virtual object A and the area of the virtualobject B overlap with each other, the projector service and the PDAservice 2 are linked to each other and the projector 200 and theportable terminal 140 are interoperable with each other.

The virtual object management DB 42 can further store a communicationinformation registration table 500 for registering communicationinformation specifying communication object data to be acquired from theservice linkage management device 240 for service use with respect toeach service to be used, as shown in FIG. 4. FIG. 4 is a view showing anexemplary data structure of the communication information registrationtable 500.

The communication information registration table 500 is configured toregister one record for each service, as shown in FIG. 4. Each recordincludes a field 502 for registering a service ID, a field 504 forregistering a service type, and a field 506 for registeringcommunication information. Notably, the communication informationregistration table 500 is stored in storage units of not only thevirtual object management device 100 but also the portable terminal 140,the projector 200, the printer 220, and the service linkage managementdevice 240.

In the first-stage record in the example of FIG. 4, “0001” is registeredas the service ID in the field 502, “projector service” as the servicetype in the field 504, and “communication object data A” as thecommunication information in the field 506, respectively. Thisfirst-stage record signifies that communication object data to beacquired from the service linkage management device 240 for use of theproject service is the communication object data A.

The CPU 30 may preferably be a micro processing unit (MPU), etc. whichruns a predetermined program stored in a predetermined area of the ROM32 to execute a virtual object creation process, virtual object deletionprocess, virtual object update process, object information updateprocess, area-in notification process, and area-out notification processshown respectively in flow charts of FIGS. 5 to 10 in a time divisionmanner.

First, the virtual object creation process will be described in detailwith reference to FIG. 5. FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating anexemplary virtual object creation process.

The virtual object creation process is executed by the CPU 30 to disposeand set a virtual object in response to a creation request from thevirtual object setting device 120. In this virtual object creationprocess, it first proceeds to step S112, as shown in FIG. 5.

At step S112, it is determined whether a virtual object creation requesthas been received. Upon determining at step S112 that the creationrequest has been received (Yes), the process proceeds to step S114. Inthe case where no virtual object creation request is determined to havebeen received at step S112 (No), it waits at step S112 until a virtualobject creation request is received.

At step S114, object information and service information are received,and then it proceeds to step S116 to register the received objectinformation in the virtual object management table 400 in a mannercorresponding to the received service information. At step S118, avirtual object creation completion notification is transmitted to thevirtual object setting device 120, and it ends a sequence of processesand then returns to the original process.

Next, the virtual object deletion process will be described in detailwith reference to FIG. 6. FIG. 6 is a flow chart illustrating anexemplary virtual object deletion process.

The virtual object deletion process is executed by the CPU 30 to deletea virtual object in response to a deletion request from the virtualobject setting device 120. In this virtual object deletion process, theprocess first proceeds to step S206, as shown in FIG. 6.

At step S206, it is determined whether a virtual object deletion requesthas been received. If it is determined at step S206 that the deletionrequest has been received (Yes), the process proceeds to step S208. Inthe case where no virtual object deletion request is determined to havebeen received at step S206 (No), the process waits at step S206 until avirtual object deletion request is received.

At step S208, positional information is received, and then it proceedsto step S210 to search the virtual object management table 400 on thebasis of the received positional information to extract thecorresponding object information therefrom. In detail, at step S208, theprocess extracts object information of a virtual object existing withina predetermined range (for example, 10 [m]) on the basis of the positionof the virtual object setting device 120, specified by the positionalinformation. Here, the virtual object of the extracted objectinformation is a target to be deleted. In other words, in order todelete a desired virtual object, the virtual object setting device 120must move to within the internal area of the virtual object or thevicinity thereof.

Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S211 to draw up a list ofvirtual objects, including the virtual object to be deleted, on thebasis of the extracted object information, and then proceeds to stepS212. At step S212, the process transmits the drawn-up virtual objectlist to the virtual object setting device 120, and then proceeds to stepS222.

At step S222, it is determined whether a virtual object deletion requestbased on the virtual object list has been received. If it is determinedat step S222 that the deletion request has been received (Yes), itdeletes the object information and service information of the virtualobject selected as a target to be deleted, at step S224, and thenreturns to step S222.

On the other hand, in the case where it is determined at step S222 thatno virtual object deletion request has been received (No), it proceedsto step S230 to determine whether a virtual object deletion end requesthas been received. Upon determining at step S230 that the deletion endrequest has been received (Yes), the process can proceed to step S232 totransmit a virtual object deletion completion notification to thevirtual object setting device 120, end a sequence of processes andreturn to the original process.

On the other hand, if it is determined at step S230 that no virtualobject deletion end request has been received (No), it returns to stepS222.

Next, the virtual object update process will be described in detail withreference to FIG. 7. FIG. 7 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplaryvirtual object update process.

The virtual object update process is executed by the CPU 30 to update avirtual object in response to an update request from the virtual objectsetting device 120. In this virtual object update process, it firstproceeds to step S306, as shown in FIG. 7.

At step S306, it is determined whether a virtual object update requesthas been received. If it is determined at step S306 that the updaterequest has been received (Yes), it proceeds to step S308. In the casewhere no virtual object update request is determined to have beenreceived at step S306 (No), it waits at step S306 until a virtual objectupdate request is received.

At step S308, positional information is received, and then it proceedsto step S310 to search the virtual object management table 400 on thebasis of the received positional information to extract thecorresponding object information therefrom. In detail, at step S308, itextracts object information of a virtual object existing within apredetermined range on the basis of the position of the virtual objectsetting device 120, specified by the positional information. Here, thevirtual object of the extracted object information is a target to beupdated. In other words, in order to update a desired virtual object,the virtual object setting device 120 must move to within the internalarea of the virtual object or the vicinity thereof.

Subsequently, it proceeds to step S311 to draw up a list of virtualobjects, including the virtual object to be updated, on the basis of theextracted object information, and then it proceeds to step S312. At stepS312, it transmits the drawn-up virtual object list to the virtualobject setting device 120, and then proceeds to step S328.

At step S328, it determines whether a virtual object update requestbased on the virtual object list has been received. If it is determinedat step S328 that the update request has been received (Yes), itproceeds to step S330 to receive object information and serviceinformation. Then, at step S332, it updates the object information andservice information of the virtual object selected as a target to beupdated on the basis of the received object information and serviceinformation, and then returns to step S328.

On the other hand, in the case where it is determined at step S328 thatno virtual object update request has been received (No), it proceeds tostep S338 to determine whether a virtual object update end request hasbeen received. Upon determining at step S338 that the update end requesthas been received (Yes), it proceeds to step S340 to transmit a virtualobject update completion notification to the virtual object settingdevice 120, end a sequence of processes and return to the originalprocess.

On the other hand, if it is determined at step S338 that no virtualobject update end request has been received (No), it returns to stepS328.

Next, the object information update process will be described in detailwith reference to FIG. 8. FIG. 8 is a flow chart illustrating anexemplary object information update process.

The object information update process is executed by the CPU 30 toupdate the disposed position of the virtual object B on the basis ofpositional information from the portable terminal 140. In this objectinformation update process, it first proceeds to step S404, as shown inFIG. 8.

At step S404, it is determined whether positional information has beenreceived. Upon determining at step S404 that the positional informationhas been received (Yes), the process proceeds to step S406. In the casewhere no positional information is determined to have been received atstep S404 (No), it waits at step S404 until positional information isreceived.

At step S406, it updates the coordinates in the field 408 of the virtualobject management table 400 for the PDA service 2 on the basis of thereceived positional information and then proceeds to step S408 to notifythe portable terminal 140 of a positional information receptionresponse, end a sequence of processes and then return to the originalprocess.

Next, the area-in notification process will be described in detail withreference to FIG. 9. FIG. 9 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplaryarea-in notification process.

The area-in notification process is executed by the CPU 30 to notifyeach device of the overlap of the area of one of two virtual objectswith the area of the other. In this area-in notification process, itfirst proceeds to step S500, as shown in FIG. 9.

At step S500, it reads a record (referred to hereinafter as objectinformation and service information of the portable terminal 140 in thisprocess) regarding the PDA service 2 from the virtual object managementtable 400 and then proceeds to step S502. At step S502, the process canread an initial record (referred to hereinafter as object informationand service information of a target device in this process) from thevirtual object management table 400 and then proceeds to step S504.

At step S504, it is determined, on the basis of the object informationof the portable terminal 140 and the object information of the targetdevice, whether an area specified by the shape and disposed position ofthe virtual object B has overlapped with an area specified by the shapeand disposed position of a virtual object corresponding to the targetdevice. Upon determining at step S504 that the two areas have overlappedwith each other (referred to hereinafter as an area-in state) (Yes), itproceeds to step S506.

At step S506, it reads communication information from the communicationinformation registration table 500 on the basis of the serviceinformation of the target device, acquires communication object data ofa corresponding service from the service linkage management device 240on the basis of the read communication information and then proceeds tostep S508. At step S508, the process establishes communication with thetarget device by executing a communication establishment process on thebasis of the acquired communication object data, notifies the targetdevice of the area-in state and then proceeds to step S540.

At step S540, it is determined whether a response to the area-innotification has been received. Upon determining at step S540 that thearea-in notification response has been received (Yes), it proceeds tostep S542. If it is determined at step S540 that no response to thearea-in notification has been received (No), it waits at step S540 untila response to the area-in notification is received.

At step S542, it registers a service ID of the corresponding service inarea-in management information of the PDA service 2 and then proceeds tostep S544 to determine whether the process of steps S504 to S542 hasbeen ended with respect to all services registered in the virtual objectmanagement table 400. If the process of steps S504 to S542 is determinedto have been ended at step S544 (Yes), it ends a sequence of processesand then returns to the original process.

On the other hand, upon determining at step S544 that the process ofsteps S504 to S542 has not been ended with respect to all the services(No), it proceeds to step S546 to read a next record from the virtualobject management table 400 and then return to step S504.

And, in the case where it is determined at step S504 that the two areasare not in the area-in state (No), it proceeds to step S544.

Next, the area-out notification process will be described in detail withreference to FIG. 10. FIG. 10 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplaryarea-out notification process.

The area-out notification process is executed by the CPU 30 to notifyeach device that the overlap of the area of one of two virtual objectswith the area of the other has been released. In this area-outnotification process, it first proceeds to step S600, as shown in FIG.10.

At step S600, it reads a record (referred to hereinafter as objectinformation and service information of the portable terminal 140 in thisprocess) regarding the PDA service 2 from the virtual object managementtable 400 and then proceeds to step S602. At step S602, the process canread an initial service ID from the area-in management information ofthe PDA service 2 and then proceeds to step S604. At step S604, it readsa record (referred to hereinafter as object information and serviceinformation of a target device in this process) regarding a servicecorresponding to the read service ID from the virtual object managementtable 400 and then proceeds to step S606.

At step S606, it determines, on the basis of the object information ofthe portable terminal 140 and the object information of the targetdevice, whether an area specified by the shape and disposed position ofthe virtual object B has not overlapped with an area specified by theshape and disposed position of a virtual object corresponding to thetarget device. Upon determining at step S606 that the two areas have notoverlapped with each other (referred to hereinafter as an area-outstate) (Yes), it proceeds to step S608.

At step S608, it reads communication information from the communicationinformation registration table 500 on the basis of the serviceinformation of the target device, acquires communication object data ofthe corresponding service from the service linkage management device 240on the basis of the read communication information and then proceeds tostep S610. At step S610, it establishes communication with the targetdevice by executing a communication establishment process on the basisof the acquired communication object data, notifies the target device ofthe area-out state and then proceeds to step S626.

At step S626, it determines whether a response to the area-outnotification has been received. Upon determining at step S626 that thearea-out notification response has been received (Yes), it proceeds tostep S628. If it is determined at step S626 that no response to thearea-out notification has been received (No), it waits at step S626until a response to the area-out notification is received.

At step S628, it deletes the service ID of the corresponding servicefrom the area-in management information of the PDA service 2 and thenproceeds to step S630 to determine whether the process of steps S604 toS628 has been ended with respect to all services registered in thearea-in management information of the PDA service 2. If the process ofsteps S604 to S628 is determined to have been ended at step S630 (Yes),it ends a sequence of processes and then returns to the originalprocess.

On the other hand, upon determining at step S630 that the process ofsteps S604 to S628 has not been ended with respect to all the services(No), it proceeds to step S632 to read a next service ID from thearea-in management information of the PDA service 2 and then return tostep S604.

And, in the case where it is determined at step S606 that the two areasare not in the area-out state (No), it proceeds to step S630.

Next, the structure of the virtual object setting device 120 will bedescribed in detail with reference to FIG. 11. FIG. 11 is an exemplaryblock diagram showing the structure of the virtual object setting device120.

The virtual object setting device 120 includes, as shown in FIG. 11, aCPU 50 for, on the basis of a control program, performing a computingoperation and controlling the entire system, a ROM 52 for pre-storingthe control program, etc. of the CPU 50 in a predetermined area thereof,a RAM 54 for storing data read from the ROM 52, etc. or operationresults necessary to the computing operation of the CPU 50, and an I/F58 for interfacing input/output data with external devices. Thesecomponents are interconnected via a bus 59, which is a signal line fortransfer of data, such that they exchange data with one another over thebus 59.

Connected to the I/F 58 are, as the external devices, a wirelesscommunication device 60 for communicating with the virtual objectmanagement device 100 in a wireless communication manner, a key panel 62as a human interface for enabling the input of data by a plurality ofkeys, a liquid crystal display (LCD) 64 for displaying an image on thebasis of an image signal, and a positional information acquisitiondevice 66 for measuring the current position of the virtual objectsetting device 120 to acquire positional information specifying thecurrent position.

The positional information acquisition device 66 is adapted to measurethe current position of the virtual object setting device 120 using aGPS, which receives time signals indicative of the current timetransmitted from orbiting satellites and measures a position on thebasis of a time deviation based on the received time signals and orbitsof the respective orbiting satellites, and output the measured currentposition as positional information.

The CPU 50 may preferably be a micro processing unit (MPU), etc. whichruns a predetermined program stored in a predetermined area of the ROM52 to execute a virtual object creation request process, virtual objectdeletion request process, and virtual object update request processshown respectively in flow charts of FIGS. 12 to 14 in a time divisionmanner.

First, the virtual object creation request process will be described indetail with reference to FIG. 12. FIG. 12 is a flow chart illustratingan exemplary virtual object creation request process.

The virtual object creation request process is a process whichcorresponds to the virtual object creation process of FIG. 5 andrequests the virtual object management device 100 to create a virtualobject. In this virtual object creation request process, upon executingby the CPU 50, it first proceeds to step S100, as shown in FIG. 12.

At step S100, it is determined whether a virtual object creation commandhas been received from a user of the virtual object setting device 120.Upon determining at step S100 that the virtual object creation commandhas been received (Yes), the process proceeds to step S102. In the casewhere no virtual object creation command is determined to have beenreceived at step S100 (No), it waits at step S100 until a virtual objectcreation command is received.

At step S102, it acquires positional information from the positionalinformation acquisition device 66 and then proceeds to step S104 toselect a service type corresponding to a desired virtual object fromamong a plurality of service types by the key panel 62.

Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S106 to input the shape andsize of the virtual object from the key panel 62 and then proceeds tostep S108. At step S108, it generates object information and serviceinformation on the basis of the acquired positional information and theresults selected and inputted respectively at steps S104 and S106, andthen proceeds to step S110. At step S110, it transmits the generatedobject information and service information to the virtual objectmanagement device 100 along with a virtual object creation request, andthen proceeds to step S120.

At step S120, it is determined whether a virtual object creationcompletion notification has been received. Upon determining at step S120that the creation completion notification has been received (Yes), itproceeds to step S122 to display a message indicative of the virtualobject creation completion on the LCD 64, end a sequence of processesand then return to the original process.

On the other hand, in the case where it is determined at step S120 thatno virtual object creation completion notification has been received(No), it waits at step S120 until a virtual object creation completionnotification is received.

Next, the virtual object deletion request process will be described indetail with reference to FIG. 13. FIG. 13 is a flow chart illustratingan exemplary virtual object deletion request process.

The virtual object deletion request process is a process whichcorresponds to the virtual object deletion process of FIG. 6 andrequests the virtual object management device 100 to delete a virtualobject. In this virtual object deletion request process, upon executingby the CPU 50, it first proceeds to step S200, as shown in FIG. 13.

At step S200, it is determined whether a virtual object deletion commandhas been received from the user of the virtual object setting device120. Upon determining at step S200 that the virtual object deletioncommand has been received (Yes), the process proceeds to step S202. Inthe case where no virtual object deletion command is determined to havebeen received at step S200 (No), it waits at step S200 until a virtualobject deletion command is received.

At step S202, the process acquires positional information from thepositional information acquisition device 66 and then proceeds to stepS204. At step S204, it transmits the acquired positional information tothe virtual object management device 100 together with a virtual objectdeletion request and then proceeds to step S214.

At step S214, it is determined whether a list of virtual objects hasbeen received. If it is determined at step S214 that the virtual objectlist has been received (Yes), it displays the received virtual objectlist on the LCD 64 at step S216 and then proceeds to step S218.

At step S218, it is determined whether a virtual object to be deletedhas been selected from the virtual object list. Upon determining at stepS218 that the virtual object to be deleted has been selected (Yes), ittransmits a virtual object deletion request based on the virtual objectlist to the virtual object management device 100 at step S220 and thenreturns to step S218.

On the other hand, in the case where it is determined at step S218 thatno virtual object to be deleted has been selected (No), it proceeds tostep S226 to determine whether a virtual object update end command hasbeen received from the user. If it is determined at step S226 that thevirtual object update end command has been received (Yes), it transmitsa virtual object deletion end request to the virtual object managementdevice 100 at step S228 and then proceeds to step S234.

At step S234, it is determined whether a virtual object deletioncompletion notification has been received. Upon determining at step S234that the deletion completion notification has been received (Yes), itproceeds to step S236. At step S236, it displays a message indicative ofthe virtual object deletion completion on the LCD 64, ends a sequence ofprocesses and then returns to the original process.

On the other hand, in the case where it is determined at step S234 thatno virtual object deletion completion notification has been received(No), it waits at step S234 until a virtual object deletion completionnotification is received.

On the other hand, if it is determined at step S226 that no virtualobject update end command has been received (No), it returns to stepS218.

And, if it is determined at step S214 that no virtual object list hasbeen received (No), it waits at step S214 until a list of virtualobjects is received.

Next, the virtual object update request process will be described indetail with reference to FIG. 14. FIG. 14 is a flow chart illustratingan exemplary virtual object update request process.

The virtual object update request process is a process which correspondsto the virtual object update process of FIG. 7 and requests the virtualobject management device 100 to update a virtual object. In this virtualobject update request process, upon executing by the CPU 50, it firstproceeds to step S300, as shown in FIG. 14.

At step S300, it is determined whether a virtual object update commandhas been received from the user. Upon determining at step S300 that thevirtual object update command has been received (Yes), it proceeds tostep S302. In the case where no virtual object update command isdetermined to have been received at step S300 (No), it waits at stepS300 until a virtual object update command is received.

At step S302, it acquires positional information from the positionalinformation acquisition device 66 and then proceeds to step S304. Atstep S304, it transmits the acquired positional information to thevirtual object management device 100 together with a virtual objectupdate request and then proceeds to step S314.

At step S314, it is determined whether a list of virtual objects hasbeen received. If it is determined at step S314 that the virtual objectlist has been received (Yes), it displays the received virtual objectlist on the LCD 64 at step S316 and then proceeds to step S318.

At step S318, it is determined whether a virtual object to be updatedhas been selected from the virtual object list. Upon determining at stepS318 that the virtual object to be updated has been selected (Yes), itproceeds to step S320 to select a service type corresponding to theselected virtual object from among a plurality of service types. At stepS322, it inputs the shape and size of the virtual object from the keypanel 62 and then proceeds to step S324 to generate object informationand service information on the basis of the acquired positionalinformation and the results selected and inputted respectively at stepsS320 and S322. At step S326, it transmits the generated objectinformation and service information to the virtual object managementdevice 100 along with a virtual object update request based on thevirtual object list, and then returns to step S318.

On the other hand, in the case where it is determined at step S318 thatno virtual object to be updated has been selected (No), it proceeds tostep S334 to determine whether a virtual object update end command hasbeen received from the user. If it is determined at step S334 that thevirtual object update end command has been received (Yes), it transmitsa virtual object update end request to the virtual object managementdevice 100 at step S336 and then proceeds to step S342.

At step S342, it is determined whether a virtual object updatecompletion notification has been received. Upon determining at step S342that the update completion notification has been received (Yes), itproceeds to step S344. At step S344, it displays a message indicative ofthe virtual object update completion on the LCD 64, ends a sequence ofprocesses, and then returns to the original process.

On the other hand, in the case where it is determined at step S342 thatno virtual object update completion notification has been received (No),it waits at step S342 until a virtual object update completionnotification is received.

If it is determined at step S334 that no virtual object update endcommand has been received (No), it returns to step S318.

And if it is determined at step S314 that no virtual object list hasbeen received (No), it waits at step S314 until a list of virtualobjects is received.

Next, a detailed description will be given of the structure of theprojector 200 with reference to FIG. 15. FIG. 15 is an exemplary blockdiagram showing the structure of the projector 200.

The projector 200 can include, as shown in FIG. 15, a CPU 70 for, on thebasis of a control program, performing a computing operation andcontrolling the entire system, a ROM 72 for pre-storing the controlprogram, etc. of the CPU 70 in a predetermined area thereof, a RAM 74for storing data read from the ROM 72, etc. or operation resultsnecessary to the computing operation of the CPU 70, and an I/F 78 forinterfacing input/output data with external devices. These componentsare interconnected via a bus 79, which is a signal line for transfer ofdata, such that they exchange data with one another over the bus 79.

Connected to the I/F 78 are, as the external devices, a wirelesscommunication device 80 for communicating with the virtual objectmanagement device 100, portable terminal 140, and service linkagemanagement device 240 in a wireless communication manner, and aprojection device 82 for projecting an image onto a screen on the basisof an image signal.

The CPU 70 may preferably be a micro processing unit (MPU), etc. whichruns a predetermined program stored in a predetermined area of the ROM72 to execute an area-in notification response process and area-outnotification response process shown respectively in flow charts of FIGS.16 and 17 in a time division manner.

First, the area-in notification response process will be described indetail with reference to FIG. 16. FIG. 16 is a flow chart illustratingan exemplary area-in notification response process.

The area-in notification response process corresponds to the area-innotification process of FIG. 9. In this area-in notification responseprocess, upon executing by the CPU 70, it first proceeds to step S510,as shown in FIG. 16.

At step S510, it is determined whether an area-in notification has beenreceived. Upon determining at step S510 that the area-in notificationhas been received (Yes), it proceeds to step S512. If it is determinedat step S510 that no area-in notification has been received (No), itwaits at step S510 until an area-in notification is received.

At step S512, it is determined whether a service associated with thereceived area-in notification is the PDA service 2. If it is determinedat step S512 that the service associated with the received area-innotification is the PDA service 2 (Yes), it proceeds to step S514 toread communication information of the PDA service 2 from thecommunication information registration table 500 and acquirecommunication object data C from the service linkage management device240 on the basis of the read communication information. At step S516, itestablishes communication with the portable terminal 140 by executing acommunication establishment process on the basis of the acquiredcommunication object data C, transmits a service linkage initiationrequest to the portable terminal 140, and then proceeds to step S524. Atstep S524, it transmits a projector display data transmission request tothe portable terminal 140 and then proceeds to step S534.

At step S534, it is determined whether projector display data has beenreceived. Upon determining at step S534 that the projector display datahas been received (Yes), the process proceeds to step S536. In the casewhere no projector display data is determined to have been received atstep S534 (No), it waits at step S534 until projector display data isreceived.

At step S536, it executes a projection process by the projection device82 on the basis of the received projector display data and then proceedsto step S538. At step S538, it notifies the virtual object managementdevice 100 of a response to the area-in notification reception, ends asequence of processes, and then returns to the original process.

On the other hand, in the case where it is determined at step S512 thatthe service associated with the received area-in notification is not thePDA service 2 (No), it proceeds to step S548 to read communicationinformation of a corresponding service from the communicationinformation registration table 500 and acquire communication object dataof the corresponding service from the service linkage management device240 on the basis of the read communication information. At step S550, itestablishes communication with a target device of the correspondingservice by executing a communication establishment process on the basisof the acquired communication object data, transmits a service linkageinitiation request to the target device of the corresponding service,and then proceeds to step S552. At step S552, it executes a servicelinkage process and then proceeds to step S538.

Next, the area-out notification response process will be described indetail with reference to FIG. 17. FIG. 17 is a flow chart illustratingan exemplary area-out notification response process.

The area-out notification response process corresponds to the area-outnotification process of FIG. 10. In this area-out notification responseprocess, upon executing by the CPU 70, it first proceeds to step S612,as shown in FIG. 17.

At step S612, it is determined whether an area-out notification has beenreceived. Upon determining at step S612 that the area-out notificationhas been received (Yes), it proceeds to step S614. If it is determinedat step S612 that no area-out notification has been received (No), itwaits at step S612 until an area-out notification is received.

At step S614, it is determined whether a service associated with thereceived area-out notification is the PDA service 2. If it is determinedat step S614 that the service associated with the received area-outnotification is the PDA service 2 (Yes), it proceeds to step S616 toread communication information of the PDA service 2 from thecommunication information registration table 500 and acquirecommunication object data C from the service linkage management device240 on the basis of the read communication information. At step S618, itestablishes communication with the portable terminal 140 by executing acommunication establishment process on the basis of the acquiredcommunication object data C, transmits a service linkage terminationrequest to the portable terminal 140, and then proceeds to step S624. Atstep S624, it transmits a response to the area-out notificationreception to the virtual object management device 100, ends a sequenceof processes, and then returns to the original process.

On the other hand, in the case where it is determined at step S614 thatthe service associated with the received area-out notification is notthe PDA service 2 (No), it proceeds to step S634 to read communicationinformation of a corresponding service from the communicationinformation registration table 500 and acquire communication object dataof the corresponding service from the service linkage management device240 on the basis of the read communication information. At step S636,the process can establish communication with a target device of thecorresponding service by executing a communication establishment processon the basis of the acquired communication object data, transmits aservice linkage termination request to the target device of thecorresponding service, and then proceeds to step S624.

Next, the structure of the printer 220 will be described in detail.

The printer 220 is substantially the same in structure as the projector200, with the exception that a printing device is provided instead ofthe projection device 82. The operation of the printer 220 is controlledby a CPU installed therein, and it is also the same as that of theprojector 200, with the exception that a printing process is executedinstead of the projection process of step S536.

Next, the structure of the portable terminal 140 will be described indetail with reference to FIG. 18. FIG. 18 is an exemplary block diagramshowing the structure of the portable terminal 140.

The portable terminal 140 includes, as shown in FIG. 18, a CPU 90 for,on the basis of a control program, performing a computing operation andcontrolling the entire system, a ROM 92 for pre-storing the controlprogram, etc. of the CPU 90 in a predetermined area thereof, a RAM 94for storing data read from the ROM 92, etc. or operation resultsnecessary to the computing operation of the CPU 90, and an I/F 98 forinterfacing input/output data with external devices. These componentsare interconnected via a bus 99, which is a signal line for transfer ofdata, such that they exchange data with one another over the bus 99.

Connected to the I/F 98 are, as the external devices, a wirelesscommunication device 83 for communicating with the virtual objectmanagement device 100, projector 200, printer 220, and service linkagemanagement device 240 in a wireless communication manner, a key panel 84as a human interface for enabling the input of data by a plurality ofkeys, an LCD 85 for displaying an image on the basis of an image signal,and a positional information acquisition device 86 for measuring thecurrent position of the portable terminal 140 to acquire positionalinformation specifying the current position.

The positional information acquisition device 86 is adapted to measurethe current position of the portable terminal 140 using a GPS, whichreceives time signals indicative of the current time transmitted fromorbiting satellites and measures a position on the basis of a timedeviation based on the received time signals and orbits of therespective orbiting satellites, and output the measured current positionas positional information.

The CPU 90 may preferably be a micro processing unit (MPU), etc. whichruns a predetermined program stored in a predetermined area of the ROM92 to execute a positional information notification process, servicelinkage process, and projector display data transmission process shownrespectively in flow charts of FIGS. 19 to 21 in a time division manner.

First, the positional information notification process will be describedin detail with reference to FIG. 19. FIG. 19 is a flow chartillustrating an exemplary positional information notification process.

The positional information notification process corresponds to theobject information update process of FIG. 8. In this positionalinformation notification process, upon executing by the CPU 90, it firstproceeds to step S400, as shown in FIG. 19.

At step S400, it acquires positional information from the positionalinformation acquisition device 86 and then proceeds to step S402. Atstep S402, it transmits the acquired positional information to thevirtual object management device 100 and then proceeds to step S410.

At step S410, it is determined whether a response to the positionalinformation transmission has been received. If it is determined at stepS410 that the response has been received (Yes), it ends a sequence ofprocesses and then returns to the original process. In the case where itis determined at step S410 that no response to the positionalinformation transmission has been received (No), it waits at step S410until a response to the positional information transmission is received.

Next, the service linkage process will be described in detail withreference to FIG. 20. FIG. 20 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplaryservice linkage process.

The service linkage process corresponds to the area-in notificationresponse process and area-out notification response process of FIGS. 16and 17. In this service linkage process, upon executing by the CPU 90,it first proceeds to step S518, as shown in FIG. 20.

At step S518, it is determined whether a service linkage initiationrequest has been received. Upon determining at step S518 that theservice linkage initiation request has been received (Yes), it proceedsto step S520 to read communication information of a correspondingservice associated with the received service linkage initiation requestfrom the communication information registration table 500 and acquirecommunication object data of the corresponding service from the servicelinkage management device 240 on the basis of the read communicationinformation. At step S522, it establishes communication with a targetdevice of the corresponding service by executing a communicationestablishment process on the basis of the acquired communication objectdata, initiates linkage with the corresponding service, ends a sequenceof processes and then returns to the original process.

On the other hand, in the case where it is determined at step S518, thatno service linkage initiation request has been received (No), itproceeds to step S620 to determine whether a service linkage terminationrequest has been received. Upon determining at step S620 that theservice linkage termination request has been received (Yes), it proceedsto step S622 to terminate linkage with a corresponding serviceassociated with the received service linkage termination request, end asequence of processes and then return to the original process.

On the other hand, in the case where it is determined at step S620, thatno service linkage termination request has been received (No), itreturns to step S518.

Next, the projector display data transmission process will be describedin detail with reference to FIG. 21. FIG. 21 is a flow chartillustrating an exemplary projector display data transmission process.

The projector display data transmission process corresponds to thearea-in notification response process of FIG. 16. In this projectordisplay data transmission process, upon executing by the CPU 90, itfirst proceeds to step S526, as shown in FIG. 21.

At step S526, it is determined whether service linkage is in progress.Upon determining at step S526 that service linkage is in progress (Yes),it proceeds to step S528. If it is determined at step S526 that servicelinkage is not in progress, it waits at step S526.

At step S528, it is determined whether a projector display datatransmission request has been received. If it is determined at step S528that the transmission request has been received (Yes), it proceeds tostep S530. In the case where it is determined at step S528 that noprojector display data transmission request has been received (No), itwaits at step S528 until a projector display data transmission requestis received.

At step S530, it reads projector display data from the RAM 94, etc. andthen proceeds to step S532. At step S532, it transmits the readprojector display data to a target device of a corresponding service,ends a sequence of processes and then returns to the original process.

Next, the operation of the first embodiment will be described.

First, a description will be given of the virtual object creation. Thevirtual object creation is conducted by the meeting promoter using thevirtual object setting device 120. For example, in order to create thevirtual object A corresponding to the projector 200, the meetingpromoter first moves to an installed position of the projector 200 andthen applies a virtual object creation command to the virtual objectsetting device 120.

The virtual object setting device 120 performs steps S102 and S104 inresponse to the virtual object creation command from the meetingpromoter. Namely, the virtual object setting device 120 acquirespositional information from the positional information acquisitiondevice 66 and requests the meeting promoter to select a service typecorresponding to the virtual object A. Here, in response to theselection request, the meeting promoter selects the service typecorresponding to the virtual object A from among a plurality of servicetypes. In this case, the meeting promoter selects “projector service” asthe service type corresponding to the virtual object A because he/shedesires to provide the projection service by the projector 200.

If the service type is selected, then the virtual object setting device120 performs step S106. At step S106, the virtual object setting device120 requests the meeting promoter to input information regarding theshape and size of the virtual object A. Here, the meeting promoterinputs the information regarding the shape and size of the virtualobject A in response to the input request. In this case, because themeeting promoter desires to provide the projection service by theprojector 200, he/she inputs a spherical shape having a centercorresponding to the projector 200 or the vicinity thereof and a propersize including, for example, a range operable by the meeting promoter.In the example of FIG. 1, the virtual object A is set to have aspherical shape with a center corresponding to the projector 200.

If the shape and size of the virtual object A are inputted, then thevirtual object setting device 120 performs steps S108 and SI 10. Atsteps S108 and S110, the virtual object setting device 120 generatesobject information and service information on the basis of the acquiredpositional information and the results selected and inputtedrespectively at steps S104 and S106, and then transmits the generatedobject information and service information to the virtual objectmanagement device 100 along with a virtual object creation request.

The virtual object management device 100 performs steps S114 to S118 inresponse to the creation request. At steps S114 to S118, the virtualobject management device 100 receives the object information and serviceinformation and registers the received object information in the virtualobject management table 400 in a manner corresponding to the receivedservice information. The virtual object management device 100 thentransmits a virtual object A creation completion notification to thevirtual object setting device 120.

Upon receiving the creation completion notification, the virtual objectsetting device 120 displays a message indicative of the virtual object Acreation completion at step S122.

Although the creation of only the virtual object A has been disclosed,the virtual objects B and C can be created in the same manner.

Next, a description will be given of the case where the presenter givesa presentation using the projector 200. In order to conduct apresentation, the presenter stores projector display data for thepresentation in the portable terminal 140 and moves within the meetingplace while carrying the portable terminal 140. At this time, theportable terminal 140 performs steps S400 and S402. At steps S400 andS402, the portable terminal 140 acquires positional information from thepositional information acquisition device 86 and transmits the acquiredpositional information to the virtual object management device 100.

Upon receiving the positional information, the virtual object managementdevice 100 updates the coordinates in the field 408 of the virtualobject management table 400 for the PDA service 2 on the basis of thereceived positional information at step S406 and notifies the portableterminal 140 of a response to the positional information reception atstep S408.

Upon receiving the response to the positional information transmission,the portable terminal 140 transmits the positional informationrepeatedly at intervals of a predetermined period of time (for example,about 3 seconds). As a result, the disposed position of the virtualobject B is updated with the movement of the portable terminal 140.

Next, the presenter brings the portable terminal 140 close to theprojector 200 under the condition that the virtual objects A to C areset. Accordingly, if the virtual object B enters the area-in state withrespect to the virtual object A, the virtual object management device100 performs steps S500 to S506. At steps S500 to S506, the virtualobject management device 100 reads communication information from thecommunication information registration table 500 on the basis of serviceinformation of the projector 200 and acquires communication object dataA from the service linkage management device 240 on the basis of theread communication information. Then, at step S508, the virtual objectmanagement device 100 can establish communication with the projector 200by executing a communication establishment process on the basis of theacquired communication object data A, and notifies the projector 200 ofthe area-in state.

Upon receiving the area-in notification, the projector 200 can recognizethat a service associated with the received area-in notification is thePDA service 2, and then performs steps S512 and S514. At steps S512 andS514, the projector 200 reads communication information of the PDAservice 2 from the communication information registration table 500 andacquires communication object data C from the service linkage managementdevice 240 on the basis of the read communication information. Then, atsteps S516 and S524, the projector 200 establishes communication withthe portable terminal 140 by executing a communication establishmentprocess on the basis of the acquired communication object data C, andtransmits a service linkage initiation request and projector displaydata transmission request to the portable terminal 140.

The portable terminal 140 receives the service linkage initiationrequest and recognizes that a service associated with the receivedservice linkage initiation request is the projector service. As aresult, at step S520, the portable terminal 140 reads communicationinformation of the projector service from the communication informationregistration table 500 and acquires communication object data A from theservice linkage management device 240 on the basis of the readcommunication information. Then, at step S522, the portable terminal 140establishes communication with the projector 200 by executing acommunication establishment process on the basis of the acquiredcommunication object data A, and initiates linkage with the projectorservice. Upon receiving the projector display data transmission requestwhile the linkage with the projector service is in progress, theportable terminal 140 reads projector display data designated for thepresentation at step S530 and transmits the read projector display datato the projector 200 at step S532.

Upon receiving the projector display data, the projector 200 executes aprojection process by the projection device 82 on the basis of thereceived projector display data at step S536 and notifies the virtualobject management device 100 of a response to the area-in notificationreception at step S538.

The virtual object management device 100 receives the response to thearea-in notification and registers a service ID of the projector servicein the area-in management information of the PDA service 2 at step S542.The virtual object management device 100 then manages the linkagebetween the PDA service 2 and the projector service.

Next, in order to finish the presentation, the presenter departs fromthe projector 200 while carrying the portable terminal 140. Accordingly,if the virtual object B is separated from the virtual object A (i.e.,the area-out state), the virtual object management device 100 performssteps S600 to S608. At steps S600 to S608, the virtual object managementdevice 100 reads communication information from the communicationinformation registration table 500 on the basis of the serviceinformation of the projector 200 and acquires communication object dataA from the service linkage management device 240 on the basis of theread communication information. Then, at step S610, the virtual objectmanagement device 100 establishes communication with the projector 200by executing a communication establishment process on the basis of theacquired communication object data A, and notifies the projector 200 ofthe area-out state.

Upon receiving the area-out notification, the projector 200 canrecognize that a service associated with the received area-outnotification is the PDA service 2, and then performs steps S614 andS616. At steps S614 and S616, the projector 200 reads communicationinformation of the PDA service 2 from the communication informationregistration table 500 and acquires communication object data C from theservice linkage management device 240 on the basis of the readcommunication information. Then, at step S618, the projector 200establishes communication with the portable terminal 140 by executing acommunication establishment process on the basis of the acquiredcommunication object data C, and transmits a service linkage terminationrequest to the portable terminal 140. At step S624, the projector 200transmits a response to the area-out notification reception to thevirtual object management device 100.

Upon receiving the service linkage termination request, the portableterminal 140 recognizes that a service associated with the receivedservice linkage termination request is the projector service, and thenterminates the linkage with the projector service at step S622.

On the other hand, the virtual object management device 100 receives theresponse to the area-out notification and deletes the service ID of theprojector service from the area-in management information of the PDAservice 2 at step S628. The virtual object management device 100 thenmanages the termination of linkage between the PDA service 2 and theprojector service.

As described above, the projector display data of the portable terminal140 is projected by the projector 200 by bringing the portable terminal140 close to the projector 200 to allow the virtual object B to enterthe area-in state with respect to the virtual object A. In a similarmanner, the projector display data of the portable terminal 140 can beprinted by the printer 220 by bringing the portable terminal 140 closeto the printer 220 to allow the virtual object B to enter the area-instate with respect to the virtual object C.

Next, a description will be given of the virtual object deletion.

The virtual object deletion is conducted by the meeting promoter usingthe virtual object setting device 120. For example, in order to deletethe virtual object A corresponding to the projector 200, the meetingpromoter first moves to an installed position of the projector 200 andthen applies a virtual object deletion command to the virtual objectsetting device 120.

The virtual object setting device 120 performs steps S202 and S204 inresponse to the virtual object deletion command from the meetingpromoter. Namely, the virtual object setting device 120 acquirespositional information from the positional information acquisitiondevice 66 and transmits the acquired positional information to thevirtual object management device 100 together with a virtual objectdeletion request.

In response to the deletion request, the virtual object managementdevice 100 receives the positional information at step S208, and thensearches the virtual object management table 400 on the basis of thereceived positional information to extract the corresponding objectinformation therefrom at step S210. In this case, object information ofthe virtual object A is extracted due to the fact that the virtualobject A exists in the vicinity of the virtual object setting device120. Thereafter, the virtual object management device 100 draws up alist of virtual objects, including the virtual object A to be deleted,on the basis of the extracted object information at step S211 andtransmits the drawn-up virtual object list to the virtual object settingdevice 120 at step S212.

Upon receiving the virtual object list, the virtual object settingdevice 120 performs step S216. At step S216, the virtual object settingdevice 120 displays the received virtual object list and requests themeeting promoter to select a virtual object to be deleted. At this time,the meeting promoter selects the virtual object A as a target to bedeleted, in response to the selection request.

If the target to be deleted is selected, then the virtual object settingdevice 120 transmits information regarding the selection of the virtualobject A as the target to be deleted, to the virtual object managementdevice 100 together with a virtual object deletion request at step S220.

Upon receiving the information regarding the selection of the virtualobject A as the target to be deleted and the deletion request, thevirtual object management device 100 deletes the object information andservice information of the virtual object A selected as the target to bedeleted at step S224. Then, in response to a deletion end request fromthe virtual object setting device 120, the virtual object managementdevice 100 transmits a virtual object deletion completion notificationto the virtual object setting device 120 at step S232.

The virtual object setting device 120 receives the deletion completionnotification and then displays a message indicative of the virtualobject A deletion completion at step S232.

Although the deletion of only the virtual object A has been disclosed,the virtual objects B and C can be deleted in the same manner.

Next, a description will be given of the virtual object update. Thevirtual object update is conducted by the meeting promoter using thevirtual object setting device 120. For example, in order to update thevirtual object A corresponding to the projector 200, the meetingpromoter first moves to an installed position of the projector 200 andthen applies a virtual object update command to the virtual objectsetting device 120.

The virtual object setting device 120 performs steps S302 and S304 inresponse to the virtual object update command from the meeting promoter.Namely, the virtual object setting device 120 acquires positionalinformation from the positional information acquisition device 66 andtransmits the acquired positional information to the virtual objectmanagement device 100 together with a virtual object update request.

In response to the update request, the virtual object management device100 receives the positional information at step S308, and then searchesthe virtual object management table 400 on the basis of the receivedpositional information to extract the corresponding object informationtherefrom at step S310. In this case, object information of the virtualobject A is extracted due to the fact that the virtual object A existsin the vicinity of the virtual object setting device 120. Subsequently,the virtual object management device 100 draws up a list of virtualobjects, including the virtual object A to be updated, on the basis ofthe extracted object information at step S311 and transmits the drawn-upvirtual object list to the virtual object setting device 120 at stepS312.

Upon receiving the virtual object list, the virtual object settingdevice 120 performs step S316. At step S316, the virtual object settingdevice 120 displays the received virtual object list and requests themeeting promoter to select a virtual object to be updated. In responseto the selection request, the meeting promoter selects the virtualobject A as a target to be updated and inputs update contents regardingthe selected virtual object A.

If the target to be updated is selected and the update contents areinputted, then the virtual object setting device 120 performs steps S324and S326. At steps S324 and S326, the virtual object setting device 120generates object information and service information on the basis of theacquired positional information and the results selected and inputtedrespectively at steps S320 and S322, and then transmits the generatedobject information and service information to the virtual objectmanagement device 100 along with information regarding the selection ofthe virtual object A as the target to be updated and a virtual objectupdate request.

Upon receiving the information regarding the selection of the virtualobject A as the target to be updated and the update request, the virtualobject management device 100 receives object information and serviceinformation at step S330 and updates the object information and serviceinformation of the virtual object A selected as the target to be updatedon the basis of the received object information and service informationat step S332. Then, in response to an update end request from thevirtual object setting device 120, the virtual object management device100 transmits a virtual object update completion notification to thevirtual object setting device 120 at step S340.

The virtual object setting device 120 receives the update completionnotification and then displays a message indicative of the virtualobject A update completion at step S344.

Although the update of only the virtual object A has been disclosed, thevirtual objects B and C can be updated in the same manner.

Thus, in the present embodiment, the virtual object management device100 is adapted to register object information regarding the shape anddisposed position of the virtual object A in a manner corresponding tothe projector 200, and object information regarding the shape anddisposed position of the virtual object B in a manner corresponding tothe portable terminal 140, respectively. The virtual object managementdevice 100 is also adapted to update the disposed position of thevirtual object B on the basis of received positional information. Upondetermining with reference to the virtual object management table 400that the virtual object B overlaps with the virtual object A (i.e., thearea-in state), the virtual object management device 100 transmits anarea-in notification to the projector 200. Upon receiving the area-innotification, the projector 200 transmits a projector display datatransmission request to the portable terminal 140 and receives projectordisplay data transmitted in response to the transmission request. Theprojector 200 then executes a projection process by the projectiondevice 82 on the basis of the received projector display data. Theportable terminal 140 transmits positional information acquired from thepositional information acquisition device 86 to the virtual objectmanagement device 100. The portable terminal 140 can further transmitthe projector display data to the projector 200 in response to theprojector display data transmission request.

Accordingly, because the virtual objects A and B are created to havetheir own shapes and disposed positions, and a determination is made asto whether the virtual object B is in the area-in state with respect tothe virtual object A, service provision areas can be defined moreclearly than those conventionally provided, thereby making it possibleto provide different services in respective small unit areas, such asseveral meters. Further, a projection service provision area (the areaof the virtual object A) and an area corresponding to the portableterminal 140 (the area of the virtual object B) are not limited topoints, but have predetermined ranges, thereby enabling the presenter toeasily receive the projection service. Moreover, the presenter canreceive the projection service by merely taking the portable terminal140 to the area of the virtual object A or the vicinity thereof. As aresult, the presenter can relatively easily receive the projectionservice. Therefore, the projection service using projector display dataresponsive to the presenter can be provided under the condition that thepresenter is uniquely identified to a certain degree.

Further, in the present embodiment, upon receiving the area-innotification, the projector 200 acquires communication object data Cfrom the service linkage management device 240 and executes acommunication establishment process on the basis of the acquiredcommunication object data C to transmit the projector display datatransmission request to the portable terminal 140.

Accordingly, as long as the service linkage management device 240 isaccessible, the projector 200 can provide the projection service eventhough it does not have the communication object data C, thereby makingit possible to additionally provide the projector 200 relatively easilyirrespective of the model, number, etc. of the portable terminal 140.Furthermore, in the case where a plurality of portable terminals 140 arepresent, object data for communication with the portable terminals 140can be managed in an integrated manner by the service linkage managementdevice 240.

Further, in the present embodiment, the virtual object management device100 is adapted to determine with reference to the virtual objectmanagement table 400 whether the virtual object B is in the area-instate with respect to the virtual object A. Thus, because the area-instate determination is made in the virtual object management device 100,the amount of load to be processed on the portable terminal 140 can bereduced as compared with that when the area-in state determination ismade in the portable terminal 140. This is similarly applied to thearea-out state determination.

Further, in the present embodiment, the portable terminal 140 is adaptedto store projector display data and transmit the stored projectordisplay data. As a result, because the projector display datatransmission is conducted in the portable terminal 140, the amount ofload to be processed on the virtual object management device 100 can bereduced as compared with that when the projector display datatransmission is conducted in the virtual object management device 100.

Further, in the present embodiment, the virtual object management device100 is adapted to receive input contents regarding object informationcreation, deletion, or update through communication with the virtualobject setting device 120 and create, delete, or update objectinformation on the basis of the received input contents. Accordingly,the virtual object creation, deletion, or update can be easilyperformed. Therefore, the present invention can relatively flexibly copewith situational variations, such as a movement of the projector 200 inthe meeting place, an increase or reduction in the number of theprojector 200, and the like.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be describedwith the reference to the accompanying drawings. FIGS. 22 to 24 areviews showing an output service provision system, a virtual objectmanagement terminal, a mobile object, a virtual object managementterminal program, a mobile object program, and an output serviceprovision method in accordance with the second embodiment of the presentinvention. Some parts in the second embodiment are substantially thesame as those in the first embodiment. Therefore, in the secondembodiment, the same parts as those in the first embodiment are denotedby the same reference numerals and a description thereof will beomitted.

In the output service provision system, the virtual object managementterminal, the mobile object, the virtual object management terminalprogram, the mobile object program, and the output service provisionmethod in accordance with the second embodiment of the presentinvention, as shown in FIG. 22, in a presentation meeting place, asphere-shaped virtual object A and virtual object B′ are disposed andset respectively in an area surrounding a projector 200 and an areasurrounding a card 160 used by a presenter by a virtual object settingdevice 120, and a projection service by the projector 200 is initiatedon the basis of projector display data of a card management device 180when the virtual objects A and B′ overlap with each other.

First, the structure of a network system to which the present inventionis applied will be described with reference to FIG. 22. FIG. 22 is aview showing the structure of the network system to which the presentinvention is applied.

In FIG. 22, installed on a wall of the presentation meeting place are avirtual object management device 100, a service linkage managementdevice 240, and the card management device 180 for managing the card160. The projector 200 and a printer 220 are further installed in thepresentation meeting place. The virtual object setting device 120 andthe card 160 used by the presenter are also provided in the presentationmeeting place.

The virtual object management device 100, the virtual object settingdevice 120, the card 160, the card management device 180, the projector200, the printer 220, and the service linkage management device 240 areconfigured to be communicatable with one another in a wirelesscommunication manner. In detail, the virtual object management device100 communicates with the virtual object setting device 120, the card160, the card management device 180, the projector 200, the printer 220,and the service linkage management device 240, and the card 160communicates with the virtual object management device 100. The cardmanagement device 180 communicates with the virtual object managementdevice 100, the projector 200, the printer 220, and the service linkagemanagement device 240, and the projector 200 and the printer 220communicate with the virtual object management device 100, the cardmanagement device 180, and the service linkage management device 240.

Meanwhile, the sphere-shaped virtual object A is set in the areasurrounding the projector 200, the sphere-shaped virtual object B′ isset in the area surrounding the card 160, and a sphere-shaped virtualobject C is set in an area surrounding the printer 220.

The service linkage management device 240 can include a storage unit forstoring communication object data for establishment of communicationswith the virtual object setting device 120, the card management device180, the projector 200, and the printer 220. The service linkagemanagement device 240 is adapted to read and transmit the communicationobject data from the storage unit in response to requests from therespective devices. Stored in the storage unit are communication objectdata A for establishment of communication with the projector 200,communication object data B for establishment of communication with thevirtual object setting device 120, communication object data D forestablishment of communication with the printer 220, and communicationobject data E for establishment of communication with the cardmanagement device 180.

Next, a detailed description will be given of the structure of thevirtual object management device 100.

The virtual object management device 100 can include a virtual objectmanagement DB 42 which stores a virtual object management table 400capable of registering object information regarding the shapes anddisposed positions of the virtual objects in a manner corresponding toservice information prescribing service contents, as shown in FIG. 23.FIG. 23 is a view showing a data structure of the virtual objectmanagement table 400.

The virtual object management table 400 is configured to be capable ofregistering one record for each of the virtual objects, as shown in FIG.23. Each record includes a field 402 for registering a serial number, afield 404 for registering a type of a service based on a device such asthe projector 200 or etc., a field 406 for registering a service IDspecifying the service, a field 408 for registering coordinatesindicative of the disposed position of the corresponding virtual objectin the virtual space corresponding to the real space, a field 410 forregistering the shape of the corresponding virtual object, a field 412for registering the size of the corresponding virtual object, and afield 414 for registering area-in management information for managementof an inter-service linkage.

In the third-stage record in the example of FIG. 23, “3” is registeredas the serial number in the field 402, “card service” as the servicetype in the field 404, “0005” as the service ID in the field 406,“(30,40,20)” as the coordinates in the field 408, “sphere” as the shapein the field 410, and “1 [m] “as the size in the field 412,respectively. This third-stage record signifies that the virtual objectB′ is virtually disposed as a spherical shape having a radius of 1 [m]about coordinates (30,40,20) in the real space where the card 160 ispresent, and a service by the card 160 is carried out in the internalarea of the virtual object B′ specified by the disposed position andshape. Note that the coordinates in the real space where the card 160exists are changeable momentarily. In this regard, for the card service,positional information is acquired from the card 160 and the coordinatesin the field 408 are updated on the basis of the acquired positionalinformation. For example, in the case where the area of the virtualobject A and the area of the virtual object B′ overlap with each other,the projector service and the card service are linked to each other, andthe projector 200 and the card management device 180 are interoperablewith each other.

Further, the virtual object management DB 42 stores a communicationinformation registration table 500 for registering communicationinformation specifying communication object data to be acquired from theservice linkage management device 240 for service use with respect toeach service to be used, as shown in FIG. 24. FIG. 24 is a view showingan exemplary data structure of the communication informationregistration table 500.

The communication information registration table 500 is configured toregister one record for each service, as shown in FIG. 24. Each recordincludes a field 502 for registering a service ID, a field 504 forregistering a service type, and a field 506 for registeringcommunication information. Notably, the communication informationregistration table 500 is stored in storage units of not only thevirtual object management device 100 but also the card management device180, projector 200, printer 220, and service linkage management device240.

Next, a detailed description will be given of the structure of the card160. The card 160 can include, although not shown, a wirelesscommunication device for communicating with the virtual objectmanagement device 100 in a wireless communication manner, and apositional information acquisition device for measuring the currentposition of the card 160 to acquire positional information specifyingthe current position. The card 160 is adapted to transmit the positionalinformation acquired from the positional information acquisition deviceto the virtual object management device 100 at predetermined periods bythe wireless communication device. In detail, this process correspondsto the positional information notification process shown in the flowchart of FIG. 19, among the processes executed by the portable terminal140 in the first embodiment.

Further, the card 160 can include, for example, an internal circuitprovided with a coil and a capacitor connected to the coil. Anelectromagnetic radiator (not shown) installed in the meeting placeradiates electromagnetic waves, which are received by the coil and thenconverted into electric power by electromagnetic induction. Theconverted electric power is stored in the capacitor and then supplied tothe wireless communication device and positional information acquisitiondevice to drive them.

Next, a detailed description will be given of the structure of the cardmanagement device 180. The card management device 180 is configured tohave the same functions as those of a general computer with a CPU, ROM,RAM, I/F, etc. connected to a bus. The card management device 180 caninclude a storage unit for storing projector display data of eachpresenter.

The CPU of the card management device 180 may preferably be a microprocessing unit (MPU), etc. which runs a predetermined program stored ina predetermined area of the ROM to execute processes correspondingrespectively to the service linkage process and projector display datatransmission process shown respectively in the flow charts of FIGS. 20and 21, among the processes executed by the portable terminal 140 in thefirst embodiment, in a time division manner.

Additionally, the virtual object management device 100, projector 200,printer 220, and service linkage management device 240 are constructedin a different manner from those in the first embodiment to process thecard service instead of the PDA service 2, and the operation associatedwith the card management device 180 instead of the operation associatedwith the portable terminal 140. These differences will be clearlyunderstood from the below description of the operation.

Next, the operation of the second embodiment will be described.

First, a description will be given of the case where the presenter givesa presentation using the projector 200. In order to conduct apresentation, the presenter stores projector display data for thepresentation in the card management device 180 and moves within themeeting place while carrying the card 160. At this time, the card 160performs steps S400 and S402. At steps S400 and S402, the card 160acquires positional information from the positional informationacquisition device and transmits the acquired positional information tothe virtual object management device 100.

Upon receiving the positional information, the virtual object managementdevice 100 updates the coordinates in the field 408 of the virtualobject management table 400 for the card service on the basis of thereceived positional information at step S406 and notifies the card 160of a response to the positional information reception at step S408.

Upon receiving the response to the positional information transmission,the card 160 transmits the positional information repeatedly atintervals of a predetermined period of time (for example, about 3seconds). As a result, the disposed position of the virtual object B′ isupdated with the movement of the card 160.

Next, in order to conduct the presentation, the presenter brings thecard 160 close to the projector 200 under the condition that the virtualobjects A to C are set. Accordingly, if the virtual object B′ enters thearea-in state with respect to the virtual object A, the virtual objectmanagement device 100 performs steps S500 to S506. At steps S500 toS506, the virtual object management device 100 reads communicationinformation from the communication information registration table 500 onthe basis of service information of the projector 200 and acquirescommunication object data A from the service linkage management device240 on the basis of the read communication information. Then, at stepS508, the virtual object management device 100 establishes communicationwith the projector 200 by executing a communication establishmentprocess on the basis of the acquired communication object data A, andnotifies the projector 200 of the area-in state.

Upon receiving the area-in notification, the projector 200 recognizesthat a service associated with the received area-in notification is thecard service, and then performs steps S512 and S514. At steps S512 andS514, the projector 200 reads communication information of the cardservice from the communication information registration table 500 andacquires communication object data E from the service linkage managementdevice 240 on the basis of the read communication information. Then, atsteps S516 and S524, the projector 200 establishes communication withthe card management device 180 by executing a communicationestablishment process on the basis of the acquired communication objectdata E, and transmits a service linkage initiation request and projectordisplay data transmission request to the card management device 180.

The card management device 180 receives the service linkage initiationrequest and recognizes that a service associated with the receivedservice linkage initiation request is the projector service. As aresult, at step S520, the card management device 180 reads communicationinformation of the projector service from the communication informationregistration table 500 and acquires communication object data A from theservice linkage management device 240 on the basis of the readcommunication information. Then, at step S522, the card managementdevice 180 establishes communication with the projector 200 by executinga communication establishment process on the basis of the acquiredcommunication object data A, and initiates linkage with the projectorservice. Upon receiving the projector display data transmission requestwhile the linkage with the projector service is in progress, the cardmanagement device 180 reads projector display data designated for thepresentation at step S530 and transmits the read projector display datato the projector 200 at step S532.

Upon receiving the projector display data, the projector 200 executes aprojection process by the projection device 82 on the basis of thereceived projector display data at step S536 and notifies the virtualobject management device 100 of a response to the area-in notificationreception at step S538.

The virtual object management device 100 receives the response to thearea-in notification and registers a service ID of the projector servicein the area-in management information of the card service at step S542.The virtual object management device 100 then manages the linkagebetween the card service and the projector service.

Thereafter, in order to finish the presentation, the presenter departsfrom the projector 200 while carrying the card 160. Accordingly, if thevirtual object B′ is separated from the virtual object A (i.e., thearea-out state), the virtual object management device 100 performs stepsS600 to S608. At S600 to S608, the virtual object management device 100reads communication information from the communication informationregistration table 500 on the basis of the service information of theprojector 200 and acquires communication object data A from the servicelinkage management device 240 on the basis of the read communicationinformation. Then, at step S610, the virtual object management device100 establishes communication with the projector 200 by executing acommunication establishment process on the basis of the acquiredcommunication object data A, and notifies the projector 200 of thearea-out state.

Upon receiving the area-out notification, the projector 200 recognizesthat a service associated with the received area-out notification is thecard service, and then performs steps S614 and S616. At steps S614 andS616, the projector 200 reads communication information of the cardservice from the communication information registration table 500 andacquires communication object data E from the service linkage managementdevice 240 on the basis of the read communication information. Then, atstep S618, the projector 200 establishes communication with the cardmanagement device 180 by executing a communication establishment processon the basis of the acquired communication object data E, and transmitsa service linkage termination request to the card management device 180.At step S624, the projector 200 transmits a response to the area-outnotification reception to the virtual object management device 100.

Upon receiving the service linkage termination request, the cardmanagement device 180 recognizes that a service associated with thereceived service linkage termination request is the projector service,and then terminates the linkage with the projector service at step S622.

On the other hand, the virtual object management device 100 receives theresponse to the area-out notification and deletes the service ID of theprojector service from the area-in management information of the cardservice at step S628. The virtual object management device 100 thenmanages the termination of linkage between the card service and theprojector service.

As described above, the projector display data of the card managementdevice 180 is projected by the projector 200 by bringing the card 160close to the projector 200 to allow the virtual object B′ to enter thearea-in state with respect to the virtual object A. In a similar manner,the projector display data of the card management device 180 can beprinted by the printer 220 by bringing the card 160 close to the printer220 to allow the virtual object B′ to enter the area-in state withrespect to the virtual object C.

Further, the virtual object creation, deletion, and update can beperformed in the same manner as those in the first embodiment.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the virtual objectmanagement device 100 is adapted to register object informationregarding the shape and disposed position of the virtual object A in amanner corresponding to the projector 200, and object informationregarding the shape and disposed position of the virtual object B′ in amanner corresponding to the card 160, respectively. The virtual objectmanagement device 100 is also adapted to update the disposed position ofthe virtual object B′ on the basis of received positional information.Upon determining with reference to the virtual object management table400 that the virtual object B′ overlaps with the virtual object A (i.e.,the area-in state), the virtual object management device 100 transmitsan area-in notification to the projector 200. Upon receiving the area-innotification, the projector 200 transmits a projector display datatransmission request to the card management device 180 and receivesprojector display data transmitted in response to the transmissionrequest. The projector 200 then executes a projection process by theprojection device 82 on the basis of the received projector displaydata. The card 160 transmits positional information acquired from thepositional information acquisition device to the virtual objectmanagement device 100. The card management device 180 transmits theprojector display data to the projector 200 in response to the projectordisplay data transmission request.

Accordingly, because the virtual objects A and B′ are created to havetheir own shapes and disposed positions, and a determination is made asto whether the virtual object B′ is in the area-in state with respect tothe virtual object A, service provision areas can be defined moreclearly than those conventionally provided, thereby making it possibleto provide different services in respective small unit areas, such asseveral meters. Further, a projection service provision area (the areaof the virtual object A) and an area corresponding to the card 160 (thearea of the virtual object B′) are not limited to points, but havepredetermined ranges, thereby enabling the presenter to easily receivethe projection service. Moreover, the presenter can receive theprojection service by merely taking the card 160 to the area of thevirtual object A or the vicinity thereof. As a result, the presenter canrelatively easily receive the projection service. Therefore, theprojection service using projector display data responsive to thepresenter can be provided under the condition that the presenter isuniquely identified to a certain degree.

Further, in the present embodiment, upon receiving the area-innotification, the projector 200 acquires communication object data Efrom the service linkage management device 240 and executes acommunication establishment process on the basis of the acquiredcommunication object data E to transmit the projector display datatransmission request to the card management device 180.

Accordingly, as long as the service linkage management device 240 isaccessible, the projector 200 can provide the projection service eventhough it does not have the communication object data E, thereby makingit possible to additionally provide the projector 200 relatively easilyirrespective of the model, number, etc. of the card management device180. Furthermore, in the case where a plurality of card managementdevices 180 are present, object data for communication with the cardmanagement devices 180 can be managed in an integrated manner by theservice linkage management device 240.

Further, in the present embodiment, the virtual object management device100 is adapted to determine with reference to the virtual objectmanagement table 400 whether the virtual object B′ is in the area-instate with respect to the virtual object A. Thus, because the area-instate determination is made in the virtual object management device 100,the amount of load to be processed on the card management device 180 canbe reduced as compared with that when the area-in state determination ismade in the card management device 180. This is similarly applied to thearea-out state determination.

Further, in the present embodiment, the card management device 180 isadapted to store projector display data and transmit the storedprojector display data. As a result, because the projector display datatransmission is conducted in the card management device 180, the amountof load to be processed on the virtual object management device 100 canbe reduced as compared with that when the projector display datatransmission is conducted in the virtual object management device 100.

Further, in the present embodiment, the virtual object management device100 is adapted to receive input contents regarding object informationcreation, deletion, or update through communication with the virtualobject setting device 120 and create, delete, or update objectinformation on the basis of the received input contents. Accordingly,the virtual object creation, deletion, or update can be easilyperformed. Therefore, the present invention can relatively flexibly copewith situational variations, such as a movement of the projector 200 inthe meeting place, an increase or reduction in the number of theprojector 200, etc.

Further, in the first embodiment, although the virtual object managementdevice 100 has been disclosed to determine with reference to the virtualobject management table 400 whether the virtual object B is in thearea-in state with reference to the virtual object A, it should beunderstood that the present invention is not limited thereto. Forexample, the virtual object management table 400 may be installed in theportable terminal 140, and the portable terminal 140 may make thearea-in state determination.

As a result, because the area-in state determination is conducted in theportable terminal 140, the amount of load to be processed on the virtualobject management device 100 can be reduced as compared with that whenthe area-in state determination is conducted in the virtual objectmanagement device 100. This is similarly applied to the area-out statedetermination.

In this case, the virtual object management device 100 corresponds to avirtual object management terminal described in claim 3, the portableterminal 140 corresponds to a mobile object described in claim 3, andthe virtual object management DB 42 corresponds to first storage meansdescribed in claim 3, or second storage means described in claim 3.Also, the positional information acquisition device 86 corresponds topositional information acquisition means described in claim 3.

Of course, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example,the area-in state determination may be made in the projector 200,printer 220, service linkage management device 240, or any other device.

Further, in the first embodiment, although the portable terminal 140 hasbeen disclosed to transmit the projector display data, the presentinvention is not limited thereto. For example, the projector displaydata may be stored in the virtual object management device 100, and thevirtual object management device 100 may transmit the projector displaydata.

Accordingly, the amount of load to be processed on the portable terminal140 can be reduced owing to the fact that the projector display datatransmission is conducted in the virtual object management device 100.

Of course, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example,the projector display data transmission may be made in the projector200, printer 220, service linkage management device 240, or any otherdevice.

Further, in the second embodiment, although the virtual objectmanagement device 100 has been disclosed to determine with reference tothe virtual object management table 400 whether the virtual object B′ isin the area-in state with reference to the virtual object A, the presentinvention is not limited thereto. For example, the virtual objectmanagement table 400 may be installed in the card management device 180,and the card management device 180 may make the area-in statedetermination.

As a result, because the area-in state determination is conducted in thecard management device 180, the amount of load to be processed on thevirtual object management device 100 can be reduced as compared withthat when the area-in state determination is conducted in the virtualobject management device 100. This is similarly applied to the area-outstate determination.

Of course, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example,the area-in state determination may be made in the projector 200,printer 220, service linkage management device 240, or any other device.

Further, in the second embodiment, although the card management device180 has been disclosed to transmit the projector display data, thepresent invention is not limited thereto. For example, the projectordisplay data may be stored in the virtual object management device 100,and the virtual object management device 100 may transmit the projectordisplay data.

Accordingly, the amount of load to be processed on the card managementdevice 180 can be reduced owing to the fact that the projector displaydata transmission is conducted in the virtual object management device100.

Of course, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example,the projector display data transmission may be made in the projector200, printer 220, service linkage management device 240, or any otherdevice.

Further, in the first and second embodiments, although the virtualobject management device 100 and the service linkage management device240 have been disclosed to be individually installed, the presentinvention is not limited thereto. For example, the virtual objectmanagement device 100 and the service linkage management device 240 maybe integrated with each other to constitute a single device.

Further, in the second embodiment, although the card 160 has beendisclosed to transmit the positional information acquired from thepositional information acquisition device to the virtual objectmanagement device 100, the present invention is not limited thereto. Forexample, the card 160 may transmit the positional information acquiredfrom the positional information acquisition device to the cardmanagement device 180, and the card management device 180 may receivethe positional information transmitted from the card 160 and transmitthe received positional information to the virtual object managementdevice 100. Also, the present invention is not limited to theacquisition of the self-positional information by the card 160. Forexample, the card management device 180 may measure the positionalinformation of the card 160.

Further, in the second embodiment, although the projection service andprint service have been disclosed to be provided through the use of thecard 160, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, anyother portable object carryable by the presenter may be used to providethe projection service and print service.

Further, in the first and second embodiments, although the objectinformation and service information have been disclosed to betransmitted and received in a wireless communication manner, it shouldbe understood that the present invention is not limited thereto. Forexample, the object information and service information may betransmitted and received over a network, or they may be stored in astorage medium, such as an IC card chip, two-dimensional barcode or thelike, and transmitted and received via the storage medium.

Further, in the first embodiment, although the portable terminal 140 hasbeen disclosed to pre-store the program for execution of the processesshown in the flow charts of FIGS. 19 to 21, it should be understood thatthe present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the portableterminal 140 may not have such a program, the virtual object managementdevice 100 may transmit object information with the program containedtherein, and the portable terminal 140 may interpret the objectinformation and service information according to the execution of thereceived program by applying only positional information to the program.

Accordingly, a new service can be received by merely modifying theprogram of the virtual object management device 100 with no necessityfor modifying the internal settings of the portable terminal 140.

Further, in the second embodiment, although the card management device180 has been disclosed to pre-store the program for execution of theprocesses shown in the flow charts of FIGS. 20 and 21, it should beunderstood that the present invention is not limited thereto. Forexample, the card management device 180 may not have such a program, thevirtual object management device 100 may transmit object informationwith the program contained therein, and the card management device 180may interpret the object information and service information accordingto the execution of the received program by applying only positionalinformation to the program.

Accordingly, a new service can be received by merely modifying theprogram of the virtual object management device 100 with no necessityfor modifying the internal settings of the card management device 180.

Further, in the first and second embodiments, although the objectinformation and the service information have been disclosed to be storedin the virtual object management device 100, it should be understoodthat the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, theobject information and the service information may be storedrespectively in different devices, and the virtual object managementdevice 100 may store only access information (for example, shortcutinformation) for access to the object information and serviceinformation. The portable terminal 140 or card management device 180 mayacquire the access information from the virtual object management device100 and obtain the object information and service information on thebasis of the access information.

Further, in the first and second embodiments, although the controlprogram pre-stored in the ROM 32 has been disclosed to be run to executethe processes shown in the flow charts of FIGS. 5 to 10, the presentinvention is not limited thereto. For example, a program indicative ofthe sequence of those processes may be stored in a storage medium, readfrom the storage medium out to the RAM 34 and then run.

Further, in the first and second embodiments, although the controlprogram pre-stored in the ROM 52 has been disclosed to be run to executethe processes shown in the flow charts of FIGS. 12 to 14, the presentinvention is not limited thereto. For example, a program indicative ofthe sequence of those processes may be stored in a storage medium, readfrom the storage medium out to the RAM 54 and then run.

Further, in the first and second embodiments, although the controlprogram pre-stored in the ROM 72 has been disclosed to be run to executethe processes shown in the flow charts of FIGS. 16 and 17, the presentinvention is not limited thereto. For example, a program indicative ofthe sequence of those processes may be stored in a storage medium, readfrom the storage medium out to the RAM 74 and then run.

Further, in the first embodiment, although the control programpre-stored in the ROM 92 has been disclosed to be run to execute theprocesses shown in the flow charts of FIGS. 19 to 21, the presentinvention is not limited thereto. For example, a program indicative ofthe sequence of those processes may be stored in a storage medium, readfrom the storage medium out to the RAM 94 and then run.

Further, in the second embodiment, although the control programpre-stored in the ROM of the card management device 180 has beendisclosed to be run to execute the processes shown in the flow charts ofFIGS. 20 and 21, the present invention is not limited thereto. Forexample, a program indicative of the sequence of those processes may bestored in a storage medium, read from the storage medium out to the RAMof the card management device 180 and then run.

Here, the storage medium may be a semiconductor storage medium, such asa RAM, ROM, or the like, a magnetic recording-type storage medium, suchas an FD, HD, or the like, an optical read-type storage medium, such asa CD, CDV, LD, DVD, or the like, or a magnetic recording/opticalread-type storage medium, such as an MO. That is, the storage medium maybe any computer-readable storage medium irrespective of an electronicreading method, magnetic reading method, optical reading method, etc.

Further, in the first embodiment, although the output service provisionsystem, virtual object management terminal, mobile object, virtualobject management terminal program, mobile object program, and outputservice provision method have been applied to the case where, as shownin FIG. 1, in the presentation meeting place, the sphere-shaped virtualobject A and virtual object B are disposed and set respectively in thearea surrounding the projector 200 and the area surrounding the portableterminal 140 used by the presenter by the virtual object setting device120, and the projection service by the projector 200 is initiated on thebasis of projector display data of the portable terminal 140 when thevirtual objects A and B overlap with each other, the present inventionis not limited thereto. For example, the output service provisionsystem, virtual object management terminal, mobile object, virtualobject management terminal program, mobile object program, and outputservice provision method may also be applied to a different case withoutdeparting from the scope and spirit of the invention.

Further, in the second embodiment, although the output service provisionsystem, virtual object management terminal, mobile object, virtualobject management terminal program, mobile object program, and outputservice provision method have been applied to the case where, as shownin FIG. 22, in the presentation meeting place, the sphere-shaped virtualobject A and virtual object B′ are disposed and set respectively in thearea surrounding the projector 200 and the area surrounding the card 160used by the presenter by the virtual object setting device 120, and theprojection service by the projector 200 is initiated on the basis ofprojector display data of the card management device 180 when thevirtual objects A and B′ overlap with each other, the present inventionis not limited thereto. For example, the output service provisionsystem, virtual object management terminal, mobile object, virtualobject management terminal program, mobile object program, and outputservice provision method may also be applied to a different case withoutdeparting from the scope and spirit of the invention.

As apparent from the above description, according to an output serviceprovision system of the present invention, virtual objects are createdto have their own shapes and disposed positions, and a determination ismade as to whether an area of the first virtual object and an area ofthe second virtual object overlap with each other. Therefore, outputservice provision areas can be defined more clearly than thoseconventionally provided, thereby making it possible to provide differentoutput services in respective small unit areas, such as several meters.Further, an output service provision area and an area corresponding to amobile object are not limited to points, but have predetermined ranges,thereby enabling a user to easily receive an output service. Moreover,the user can receive the output service by merely taking the mobileobject to the area of the first virtual object or the vicinity thereof.As a result, the user can relatively easily receive the output service.Therefore, an output service responsive to the user can be providedunder the condition that the user is uniquely identified to a certaindegree.

Further, according to the output service provision system of the presentinvention, the overlap determination is made in a virtual objectmanagement terminal, resulting in a reduction in the amount of load tobe processed on the mobile object.

Further, according to the output service provision system of the presentinvention, the overlap determination is made in the mobile object,resulting in a reduction in the amount of load to be processed on thevirtual object management terminal.

Further, according to the output service provision system of the presentinvention, the transmission of output data is performed in the virtualobject management terminal, resulting in a reduction in the amount ofload to be processed on the mobile object. Moreover, an output serviceusing output data responsive to the user can be provided.

Further, according to the output service provision system of the presentinvention, the transmission of output data is performed in the mobileobject, resulting in a reduction in the amount of load to be processedon the virtual object management terminal. Moreover, an output serviceusing output data responsive to the user can be provided.

Further, according to an output service provision system of the presentinvention, virtual objects are created to have their own shapes anddisposed positions, and a determination is made as to whether an area ofthe first virtual object and an area of the second virtual objectoverlap with each other. Therefore, output service provision areas canbe defined more clearly than those conventionally provided, therebymaking it possible to provide different output services in respectivesmall unit areas, such as several meters. Further, an output serviceprovision area and an area corresponding to a portable terminal are notlimited to points, but have predetermined ranges, thereby enabling auser to easily receive an output service. Moreover, the user can receivethe output service by merely taking the portable terminal to the area ofthe first virtual object or the vicinity thereof. As a result, the usercan relatively easily receive the output service. Therefore, an outputservice using output data responsive to the user can be provided underthe condition that the user is uniquely identified to a certain degree.

Further, according to the output service provision system of the presentinvention, an output device can provide an output service even though itdoes not have means for establishment of communication with the portableterminal, as long as it can gain access to a communication serviceprovision terminal, thereby making it possible to additionally providethe output device relatively easily irrespective of the model, number,etc. of the portable terminal. Furthermore, in the case where aplurality of portable terminals is present, means for establishment ofcommunication with the portable terminals can be managed in anintegrated manner by the communication service provision terminal.

Further, according to an output service provision system of the presentinvention, virtual objects are created to have their own shapes anddisposed positions, and a determination is made as to whether an area ofthe first virtual object and an area of the second virtual objectoverlap with each other. Therefore, output service provision areas canbe defined more clearly than those conventionally provided, therebymaking it possible to provide different output services in respectivesmall unit areas, such as several meters. Further, an output serviceprovision area and an area corresponding to a portable object are notlimited to points, but have predetermined ranges, thereby enabling auser to easily receive an output service. Moreover, the user can receivethe output service by merely taking the portable object to the area ofthe first virtual object or the vicinity thereof. As a result, the usercan relatively easily receive the output service. Therefore, an outputservice using output data responsive to the user can be provided underthe condition that the user is uniquely identified to a certain degree.

Further, according to the output service provision system of the presentinvention, an output device can provide an output service even though itdoes not have means for establishment of communication with a portableobject management terminal, as long as it can gain access to acommunication service provision terminal, thereby making it possible toadditionally provide the output device relatively easily irrespective ofthe model, number, etc. of the portable object management terminal.Furthermore, in the case where a plurality of portable object managementterminals is present, means for establishment of communication with theportable object management terminals can be managed in an integratedmanner by the communication service provision terminal.

Further, according to the output service provision system of the presentinvention, the first virtual object can be easily created, deleted, orupdated. Therefore, the output service provision system of the presentinvention can relatively flexibly cope with situational variations, asbeing applied to a new object, such as a building, or an object with atemporary location, such as an exhibit.

Further, according to the output service provision system of the presentinvention, the provision of a display service by a projection-typedisplay device can be relatively easily received and a display serviceresponsive to the user can be provided.

Further, according to an output service provision system of the presentinvention, a user can receive an output service by merely taking amobile object to an area of a first virtual object or the vicinitythereof. As a result, the user can relatively easily receive the outputservice. Therefore, an output service using output data responsive tothe user can be provided under the condition that the user is uniquelyidentified to a certain degree. Moreover, the first virtual object canbe easily created, deleted, or updated. Therefore, the output serviceprovision system of the present invention can relatively flexibly copewith situational variations, as being applied to a new object, such as abuilding, or an object with a temporary location, such as an exhibit.

Further, according to an output service provision system of the presentinvention, a virtual object is created to have its shape and disposedposition, and a determination is made as to whether a portable terminalexists in an internal area of the virtual object. Therefore, outputservice provision areas can be defined more clearly than thoseconventionally provided, thereby making it possible to provide differentoutput services in respective small unit areas, such as several meters.Moreover, an output service provision area is not limited to a point,but has a predetermined range, thereby enabling a user to easily receivean output service. Moreover, the user can receive the output service bymerely taking the portable terminal to the area of the virtual object.As a result, the user can relatively easily receive the output service.Therefore, an output service using output data responsive to the usercan be provided under the condition that the user is uniquely identifiedto a certain degree.

Further, according to an output service provision system of the presentinvention, a virtual object is created to have its shape and disposedposition, and a determination is made as to whether a portable objectexists in an internal area of the virtual object. Therefore, outputservice provision areas can be defined more clearly than thoseconventionally provided, thereby making it possible to provide differentoutput services in respective small unit areas, such as several meters.Moreover, an output service provision area is not limited to a point,but has a predetermined range, thereby enabling a user to easily receivean output service. Moreover, the user can receive the output service bymerely taking the portable object to the area of the virtual object. Asa result, the user can relatively easily receive the output service.Therefore, an output service using output data responsive to the usercan be provided under the condition that the user is uniquely identifiedto a certain degree.

On the other hand, according to a virtual object management terminal ofthe present invention, the same effect as that of the output serviceprovision system described above can be obtained.

And, according to a mobile object of the present invention, the sameeffect as that of the output service provision system described abovecan be obtained.

And, according to a virtual object management terminal program of thepresent invention, the same effect as that of the virtual objectmanagement terminal described above can be obtained.

And, according to a mobile object program of the present invention, thesame effect as that of the mobile object described above can beobtained.

And, according to an output service provision method of the presentinvention, the same effect as that of the output service provisionsystem described above can be obtained.

And, according to an output service provision method of the presentinvention, the same effect as that of the output service provisionsystem described above can be obtained.

1. An output service provision system that provides an output serviceassociated with an output of an output device corresponding to a firstvirtual object in a virtual space corresponding to a real space on thebasis of a positional relation between the first virtual object and asecond virtual object corresponding to a mobile device that is arrangedat a position of said mobile object in said virtual space or thevicinity thereof, the output service provision system comprising: afirst storage device that stores first object information regarding ashape and disposed position of said first virtual object in a mannercorresponding to said output device; a second storage device that storessecond object information regarding a shape and disposed position ofsaid second virtual object in a manner corresponding to said mobileobject; and a positional information acquisition device that acquirespositional information specifying the position of said mobile object;said second object information in said second storage device beingupdated on the basis of said positional information acquired by saidpositional information acquisition device, and providing said outputservice associated with the output of said output device correspondingto said first virtual object upon determining, on the basis of saidfirst object information in said first storage device and said secondobject information in said second storage device, that an area specifiedby said shape and disposed position of said first virtual object isoverlapped with an area specified by said shape and disposed position ofsaid second virtual object.